It’s my second tennis match of the season. The day before I'd had my first match and, since I was defeated in two sets, I’m excited to get out there and give it another shot.
We do the introductions, racket spin, warm-up, and get the party started. My doubles partner and I take the lead three games to one, and then it begins. The opponents call a ball "out" that looked solidly "in" to me. Then it happens again, then again. I try to make a habit of not focusing on questionable calls - since that often leads to self-destruction - but three?
So I ask my partner, “did you think those were in?” and she says, “oh definitely! Let’s call a line judge.” I convince her to give them yet another chance, and we quickly get number four. We find a line judge/court monitor from each team’s peanut gallery, and continue the match.
Just when you think you’ve solved your problem... “Our” court monitor stood quietly at the net post, watching play, and commenting only when asked for confirmation. “Their” court monitor cheered for points won (theirs of course), collected wayward balls, talked to the opponents between points, and generally served as an on-court nuisance. I have to give her credit for her honesty in overruling bad call number five, but the rest of time I got to practice my focus-in-the-presence-of-extreme-distractions.
The USTA rule book spells out the monitor’s role in verifying or overruling line and let calls, calling foot faults, keeping score and timing breaks. But it doesn’t explicitly address good manners. That should be a given, right?
So here’s what I learned:
- Never be afraid to request a line judge. It takes the pressure off and, when done cordially, can defuse a tense situation.
- Never be afraid to “guide” the line judge in their duties.
- When all else fails, find your focus and do your best. After all, it’s a GAME!
