In the middle of a mixed-doubles point, with the opposing male at the baseline and his partner at the net, he hit a shot that both my partner and I saw as brushing his partner’s hair. It landed in, and since we couldn’t get to it, they claimed the point. The female opponent said she didn’t feel the ball touch her, so it was their point. Who gets to make the call?
— Ed Harris, Madison, WI
The hairy one (or her partner). Under Rule 24.i, a player (or team) loses the point if “the ball in play touches the player.” Under The Code, Item 19, the player who is touched by the ball makes the call, not the opponents.
Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.
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