Ultimate Tennis

Resolving On Court Conflicts

Players should utilize the tips below to aid in understanding and resolving the most common conclicts that occur between players while on court.

Players make all calls their own side of the net
Line calls must be made fairly. If there is any uncertainty whether a ball is in or out, call it in. A ball 99% out is still 100% in.
Line calls should be made immediately and clearly.
Spectators are never to make calls. A player may not enlist the aid of a spectator in making a call.
Flagrant bad line calls are considered unsportsmanlike conduct and are not allowed.

Give opponents the benefit of the doubt. Due to vantage points, what may look like a good shot, could be out by a large margin. Players should never question a call based on the "feel" of a shot.
If there is a genuine doubt regarding a call, a player may ask their opponent if they are certain of the call. If they are, their decision stands and there should be no further discussion of the call or delay in play.
Excessive questioning of line calls is considered unsportsmanlike and is not allowed.

It is extremely difficult to see whether or not an opponent is foot faulting due to the vantage point of the receiving player. Therefore players should give their opponents the benefit of the doubt.
If a flagrant foot fault occurs, a player may warn their opponent to be more aware of their foot position going forward.
Spectators are never allowed to call foot faults. Players may not enlist the aid of a spectator in calling foot faults.

Scores must be called out clearly before the start of each point as well as each game. When a dispute in scoring occurs, players must go back to the last point or game they agree on and resume the match from there. See Resolving Scoring Conflicts for further details.

All players are expected to conduct themselves while on court in a manner representative of the League's Code of Conduct. Remember, this is recreational tennis. Players do not want to see their opponents looking and acting miserable when a match is not going their way. Be fun to have on court!

An Official Protest may be filed with the League Office only when an actual rule violation has occured while on court. Players must clearly inform their opponent of the violation and state the rest of the match will be played under an Official Protest. If a player does not say anything and continues the match despite of the violation, they have accepted the results and the match will stand as played. The League Office will not mediate or overturn any match where an Official Protest was not issued or justified.