I went after a wide shot in a mixed doubles match. At the exact same moment, a player on the adjacent court was going for a wide ball toward my court. We would have crashed in the space between the courts if I hadn’t relented first. I asked my partner and opponents if the point should be replayed. Should it have been?
— Ron Youhouse, Boise, ID
This is most definitely a hindrance (Rule 26). It should have been a let, on both courts. You had every right to make a play on the ball without being affected by an outside hindrance because you were within your “playing area,” as was the player coming over from the adjacent court. USTA Comment 26.7 says that the “playing area includes the area between courts,” so in this case you both could have claimed a let for a hindrance.
Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.
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