As I have mentioned elsewhere in this blog, most QEhardrocks are self taught tennis players. Many will have had a few lessons from a community centre coach at one time or another, but they will not have benefitted from much play before the watchful eye of a knowledgeable mentor. Rather, they will have had free reign to elaborate no end of personal foibles in their shot-making, especially the most complex shot in tennis, the service. And so we have players who have developed the windmill serve, the sidearm serve, the mid-toss bunny hop serve, the pre-toss waving racquet serve, and even the cha cha cha step serve.
It is this last, used unremittingly, though unwittingly, by one QEhardrock, that has drawn my attention lately. Most QEhardrocks step over the base line as they toss the ball into the air to serve. What the heck, most public court players I have ever seen play do that (not all, it must be said, but most), and it is an article of faith in recreational play that foot faults be forgiven, because they lack evil intent, and we are playing for fun. However, with the newly painted surface and lines at Queen E, the service faults are much more apparent, and I have found myself demanding legal serves from a couple of fellows who commit the “walking or running” foot fault.
The cha cha cha stepper mentioned above is the worst offender. The point at which I object is when he, a right-hander, serving from the advantage service court into the opposite ad court, does his cha cha cha right into the deuce court before hitting the ball. He will begin standing more or less parallel with the base line, at times very close to the centre line mark. As he throws the ball up, the forward foot will edge ahead, to be followed quickly by the cha cha cha moves, making four steps in all, before he hits the ball. When beginning near the centre line, those four steps carry him from the advantage court across the center line into the deuce court nearly every time. His service is then no longer going from service court to the one diagonally opposite, as is required by the rules of the game. That is when I squawk. I know another player who does the same thing, with fewer steps. I squawk at him too, for crossing the centre line. There are limits!!!!
Well, gentle reader, I do not expect you to squawk at anyone, but I copy below the rules of the game regarding serving and foot faults, that the self-taught among you may check sometime to see if your feet are following the rules when you serve.
17. SERVING
When serving in a standard game, the server shall stand behind alternate halves of the court, starting from the right half of the court in every game.
In a tie-break game, the service shall be served from behind alternate halves of the court, with the first served from the right half of the court.
The service shall pass over the net and hit the service court diagonally opposite, before the receiver returns it.
18. FOOT FAULT
During the service motion, the server shall not:
a. Change position by walking or running, although slight movements of the feet are permitted; or
b. Touch the baseline or the court with either foot; or
c. Touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline with either foot; or
d. Touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark with either foot.
If the server breaks this rule it is a “Foot Fault”.
Click here for the whole rulebook, ITF 2010.
