I hit a volley that struck one of our opponents on the back of his hand that was holding his racquet. The ball went in our court for a winner; he immediately let us know the ball hit him in the hand. We didn’t know who should get the point, but we gave it to them. Is that correct?

— Jim Matlock

Your honest opponent’s admission was all you needed to win the point. Rule 25.i says that a player loses the point if “the ball in play touches the player,” and it makes no distinction about what part of the body is touched. The Code, Item 19, requires a player who has been touched by a ball in play to concede the point.

Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.

Got a question? Email it to: courtofappeals@tennis.com