Home » Sports » Tennis » No Cheating Allowed

No Cheating Allowed

© Sandra Eggers

How many times have you set up a point, executed perfectly and hit the winner only to have it called "out" by your opponent? A ball that was clearly in, and they call it out to take the point. It's cheating plain and simple, and it's not tolerated in tennis.

You'd think this behavior would only happen in junior tennis, but unfortunately it seems to exist in adult leagues and tournaments as well. You may also find it in your club social events, with that one person who just has to win.

Here are some tips that will make the game of tennis more enjoyable for everyone. You probably won't find these published in any rulebook, but it's expected that all tennis players follow them.

Give your opponent the benefit of doubt
The only thing you have to remember in tennis is that if you aren't sure about a call, then you give the benefit of doubt to your opponent. If they hit a ball that lands near the line and you don't know if it's in or out, then you have to call it good they get the point.

Play an honest game
If you find yourself in a situation with an opponent who is cheating, don't lower yourself to their level and play the same kinds of games. If you're in a tournament situation, get a referee to watch your match. If this is a social game, consider taking these people off your list and not playing with them again.

Don't tolerate gamesmanship
You've probably seen players using gamesmanship tactics to intimidate their opponent and win points, especially in close matches. Examples of gamesmanship include making a late call on purpose, calling the ball out after you've hit it back, continually taking a long time between points or games, serves before checking to see if the receiver is ready. The list goes on, but if you experience any of this type of behavior, it is gamesmanship and you should not tolerate it. Unfortunately, it's not illegal, so the best thing to do is remain calm and ignore the tactics, then consider not playing with them again.

Check yourself
If any of the above tactics describe your behavior, such as cheating or gamesmanship, consider changing your attitude. You don't need to resort to such things to have fun and win matches. Of course, we all make mistakes on line calls where we honestly think the ball is out, but if you do it on purpose, you should try to eliminate this kind of behavior.

The copyright of the article No Cheating Allowed in Tennis is owned by . Permission to republish No Cheating Allowed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.