1. Players are expected at all times to shake hands with their opponent(s) at the completion of a match (note: since COVID-19, shaking of hands is no longer expected but a gesture such as touching of rackets or a nod is acceptable)
2. Do not enlist the aid of spectators, including parents, coaches in making line calls, or attempting to determine the score or other on-court matters.
3. Wait until a point is over before walking behind a court where a match is in progress.
4. To retrieve a ball from another court or to return a ball to another court, wait until the players have completed a point.
5. Do not stall, sulk, complain or practice gamesmanship.
6. No gambling/betting is allowed.
7. In doubles, when returning service, the partner of the receiver should generally call the service line for him/her. The receiver should generally call the center and side service lines. The call needs to be loud enough to stop their opponents/partner playing.
When playing a public tennis facility, it is the players’ responsibility to follow all facility rules when it comes to use of the facility (i.e. parking, reservation, usage, lights, water fountains, ice makers, etc.). Make sure to review all safety rules and regulation. When playing in a private club facility, please respect all club rules and procedures with regards to visiting privileges (if you are a guest), and (if you are a member), please follow all the rules of the club when bringing in visitors.
ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSSING. (Please read the RULES and REGULATION for more details on Court Selection).
Remember the Golden Rule: Treat someone the same way you want to be treated. This starts when scheduling a match with your opponent. Do not assume that everyone has the same schedule as you do. Be respectful and understanding on where people are coming from. The tone of a match experience is set from the first interaction. Here are a few suggestions on how to establish a positive tone:
1. While being proactive in scheduling your matches is encouraged to get you the most matches that you can put in for the league cycle, try not to be too aggressive. Some people may be busy that day to respond to your call, email or text. Do not assume that they are ghosting you. If they are indeed ghosting you (which we discourage), don’t take it personally. Just move on to the next participant on your list.
2. Try to reach out to several people and until you get a commitment; once you get a commitment, schedule it on your calendar.
3. If someone is trying to set up a match with you, try to respond timely. It’s ok to say “No because…,” or “I am busy that day”, or “I’ll get back to you…” but try not to leave a person hanging.
4. Do not overbook yourself. Stick to your commitments.
5. Life happens. When your committed day is coming and for whatever reason that you cannot hold on to that commitment, notify opponents as soon as you can when your match cannot be played for any reason (see Rules for forfeiting a match)
6. Always arrive on time for matches (See Rules on time allotment before a match is called a Win)
Most of the leagues on our platform are self-umpired. All players should be aware of the following basic principles when playing a match without an Umpire or Referee:
1. If in doubt of a line call, the player must give the benefit of any doubt to his/her opponent.
2. Each player is responsible for all calls on his/her side of the net.
3. All “out” or “fault” calls should be made promptly after the ball has bounced and must be loud enough for the opponent to hear.
4. If a player incorrectly calls a ball “out” and then realizes that the ball was good, the point should be replayed, unless it was a point winning shot or unless that player made an incorrect “out” call earlier in the match. In these circumstances, the player who called “out” loses the point.
5. A service “Let” may be called by either player/team.
6. Please refrain from calling Foot-faults. This area just makes it more contentious for both sides. Remember this is a recreational league.
7. The receiver must play to the reasonable pace of the server. Both players must ensure they restrict their warmup time and minimize time between points and at change of ends.
8. To avoid controversy over the score, try to use the scoreboard if the court has one, and the server should announce the game score before starting a game and the point score prior to serving for each point, and must be loud enough for his/her opponent to hear.
9. If players cannot agree on the score, they should calmly discuss the points/games that are disputed. All points or games which the players agree on stand and only those in dispute should be replayed i.e. two players cannot agree on whether the score is 40-30 or 30-40 and disagree only on who won the first point in the game. The game shall continue from 30-30, since both players agree that they have won two points each.
10. When a player has created an involuntary hindrance (ball falling out of pocket, hat falling off, etc.), the first time a “let” should be called and any similar hindrance thereafter will be ruled deliberate.
11. Where a ball interrupts play, either by rolling/bouncing onto the court, and/or creating a visible interruption behind the court a let should be played. Either player can call a let in these circumstances provided they do so in a timely manner. Where this is between a 1st and 2nd serve, a second serve only should be played.
12. In a situation where a ball is lying on the court at the commencement of the point (1st or 2nd serve) it will be deemed to be part of the court during the rally. Movement of this ball during the rally does not constitute hindrance.
13. Players are entitled to request their opponent to remove the ball from the court prior to the commencement of the point.
14. The receiver should not return the first service if it is an obvious fault let it go by or ground it.
15. Players should only leave the court for a toilet break, or any other reason, with the permission of the opponent. Please try to do this in between sets.
16. If at the completion of a match, the players involved realize that the scoring format used was incorrect, the match result shall stand provided all players have left the court enclosure. If the mistake is realized before the players have left the enclosure, the correct scoring format should be used to finalize the match. If this is not possible (i.e. the match has progressed beyond the point where the correct scoring format can be implemented), then the score based on the incorrect format stands.
17. Screaming regularly and loudly, whether in relation to winning and/or losing a point is likely to cause interference to play on nearby courts and may be considered unsportsmanlike conduct.
18. Constant overt celebration directed at an opponent may be considered intimidation, and therefore unsportsmanlike conduct
For matches played on clay courts, there are some additional procedures that all players should follow:
1. A ball mark can only be checked on a point ending shot, or when play is stopped (a return is permitted, but then the player must immediately stop).
2. Players are prohibited from checking the mark of the ball on their opponent’s side of the court, unless invited by their opponent to do so.
3. If a player erases the mark, he/she is conceding the call.
4. If there is a disagreement over a ball mark, the Referee or Court Supervisor can be called to make a final decision. However, where a player is consistently making incorrect calls resulting in numerous ball mark inspections, a Code Violation may be applied.
5. If a player calls a ball “out”, he/she should, in normal circumstances, be able to show the correct mark.
We are committed to providing an overall positive and quality experience and expect everyone to follow this Code of Conduct. The League Organizers or representative from Game.Set.Match reserve the right to remove anyone from the league following any complaints regarding the players following an investigation (after a complaint is filed).
To accomplish this, we ask that unsportsmanlike behavior be reported to the League organizer or administrator of Game.Set.Match as soon as possible. Each valid complaint is logged into a player’s record for review. The League Organizer or Administrator will try to address the complaint to the best of their ability by makes no guarantee that the behavior of the offending party will change. Repeated complaints (especially from different sources) will be grounds for suspension.
