Foot fault (tennis)

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A foot fault is a possibility of a service fault in tennis .

Set of rules

John McEnroe with foot fault

At the beginning of a rally in tennis, the server brings the ball into play by serving . He commits a foot error in the following cases:

  • Change of position by walking or running (only slight movements of the feet are allowed)
  • Touching the baseline or the field of play with one or both feet
  • Touching the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline with one or both feet
  • Touching the imaginary extension of the center sign with one or both feet

The server must therefore be between the imaginary extension lines of the center sign and the sideline and behind the baseline. In the individual , the server must not be outside the sideline relevant for the individual. In addition, he is fundamentally not allowed to change his position. During the service movement, the server may be in the air with one or both feet without touching the ground and may also come up in front of the baseline after hitting the ball.

The consequence of a foot error is a service error. If the server makes the foot fault on his first attempt to serve, it is faulty and the player must make the second attempt to serve. A foot fault on the second attempt to serve leads to a double fault .

Controversy

In contrast to the decision whether a struck ball is inside or outside the playing field ( hawk-eye ) or whether a service has touched the net, no technical aid is available to detect a foot fault. The decision about a foot fault is made by the respective linesman. For this reason and due to the fact that linesmen rarely decide on foot faults, linesmen are often exposed to criticism from the players concerned.

A well-known incident due to a Fußfehlerentscheidung is the rant of Serena Williams in the semifinals of the 2009 US Open against Kim Clijsters . With a score of 4: 6, 5: 6 and 15:30 and a second serve, a foot fault and thus a double fault was decided when Williams served . Williams then cursed the linesman and received a penalty point for a warning in the first set, so Clijsters won the game. Another well-known incident concerned the second round match at Wimbledon 2012 between Ivo Karlović and Andy Murray , in which Karlović should have committed a total of nine foot errors and then announced his displeasure through the press and pleaded for the introduction of technical assistance.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. International Tennis Federation (ITF) tennis rules , rule 18 "Foot fault". Website of the German Tennis Federation . Retrieved November 9, 2013.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dtb-tennis.de
  2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. International Tennis Federation (ITF) tennis rules , rule 19 "Service faults". Website of the German Tennis Federation . Retrieved November 9, 2013.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dtb-tennis.de
  3. ↑ Information for line judges , Section V.43. Website of the Bavarian Tennis Association . Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  4. ^ Foot Faults and the Rage They Can Cause . New York Times website . Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  5. ↑ Mob scandal: The embarrassing freak out of Serena Williams . Spiegel Online website . Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  6. ↑ After nine foot errors: Karlovic files a formal complaint . Tennisnet.com website. Retrieved November 10, 2013.

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