I was charging the net and mishit a drop shot off the frame that popped up in front of my face. I wasn’t sure if the ball would clear the net, and my reflex instinct was to try and blow it over. The ball hit the top of the tape and leaned a bit, but it fell on my side. What would the ruling be if the ball had gone over?
— Fred Chittenden, Snohomish, WA
Don’t hold your breath—seriously. There is nothing in Rule 24 (Player Loses Point) or Rule 25 (A Good Return) that would seem to prohibit this. Rule 25.b does refer to a ball “blown . . . over the net,” but surely that reference is not to player-created breeze.
Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.
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