Why do net posts count as part of the net, but scoreboards, trash cans and cup holders attached to the net do not?

—M. Kaytaz, Naples, FL

It’s not so much that the net posts “count as part of the net.” Rule 2 defines permanent fixtures, and the net and net posts are not included in the definition (except for the posts and parts of the net outside the singles sticks). Rule 13, USTA Comment 13.1, says that a player loses the point if their shot first hits “an object attached to the net or post (such as a scoring device).”

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

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