Code of Tennis

Bronte Tennis Club Rules and Etiquette

1. Scheduled programs and ladder matches take precedence over casual matches.

2. Ladder matches will play ‘no-add’ scoring when members are waiting.

3. Adult members take precedence in the mornings and the evenings.

4. Juniors take precedence in the afternoons from Noon to 6:30 pm.

5. One hour is a reasonable amount of time for a match when other members are waiting.

6. All players must be present before going onto the court.

7. Members must sign up on the chalkboard with start time and court number before entering the courts. If a court attendant is on duty, he/she will help.

8. Courts are available on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis to members who have signed up on the chalkboard.

9. If all club courts are busy, players may play on the public court (#8), abiding by the Town’s Parks & Rec rules.

10. All members should wear their shoes tags; non-members will pay a guest fee of $5/day.

11. Only non-marking tennis shoes should be worn on the courts.

The Code

(THE PLAYERS’ GUIDE FOR UNOFFICIATED MATCH'S)

When your serve hits your partner stationed at the net, is it a let, fault, or loss of point? Likewise, what is the ruling when your serve, before touching the ground, hits an opponent who is standing back of the baseline. The answers to these questions are obvious to anyone who knows the fundamentals of tennis, but it is surprising the number of players who don’t know these fundamentals. All players have a responsibility to be familiar with the basic rules and customs of tennis. Further, it can be distressing when a player makes a decision in accordance with a rule and the opponent protests with the remark: "Well, I never heard of that rule before!" Ignorance of the rules constitutes a delinquency on the part of a player and often spoils an otherwise good match.

What is written here constitutes the essentials of The Code, a summary of procedures and unwritten rules that custom and tradition dictate all players should follow. No system of rules will cover every specific problem or situation that may arise. If players of good will follow the principles of The Code, they should always be able to reach an agreement, while at the same time making tennis more fun and a better game for all. The principles set forth in The Code shall apply in cases not specifically covered by the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA Regulations.

Before reading this you might well ask yourself: Since we have a book that contains all the rules of tennis, why do we need a code? Isn’t it sufficient to know and understand all the rules? There are a number of things not specifically set forth in the rules that are covered by custom and tradition only. For example, if you have a doubt on a line call, your opponent gets the benefit of the doubt. Can you find that in the rules? Further, custom dictates the standard procedures that players will use in reaching decisions. These are the reasons we need a code. —Col. Nick Powel

PDF of the ‘The Code’

The Official Rules of Tennis

Pdf of the ‘USTA Rules’