NETS - Stay Away from the Nets!!

Reminder About a Basic Rule of Tennis

At a recent Superior High School tennis match, I was dismayed while watching the #1 singles match. Dismayed, because of the following scenario.

In the second set of a very hard-fought, grueling match, the players were involved in a very good point. It was a long rally, where the opponent got drawn into the net and then retreated to continue the point.

It wasn't quite this bad, but still.

Here's the problem. When the opponent, a very good player, got drawn into the net, he actually touched the net with his body. Not just once, but twice. He ran into the net when he reached the drop shot hit by the Superior player, and then he hit the net again as he was trying to retreat back into the court to continue the point.

The first touch of the net was bad enough, but by pushing off of the net to gain momentum to move back into the court to continue the point, the player committed his second foul on the same point.

ANY player that touches the net at ANY time during the point should lose the point. Whether touching with body or racket, it is the same outcome - point awarded to the opponent.

Obviously that didn't happen in this case, or I wouldn't be writing about it.

I was most upset by the fact that anyone playing at #1 Singles for his high school team is aware of this rule. It isn't an obscure rule that only tennis geeks would know about. This young man has played the game for many years, and definitely knew that this is a rule. To wit:

Making Calls
19. Touches, hitting ball before it crosses net, invasion of opponent’s court, double
hits, and double bounces. A player shall concede the point when:

• A ball in play touches that player;
• That player touches the net or opponent’s court while a ball is in play;
• That player hits a ball before it crosses the net;
• That player deliberately carries or double hits a ball; or
• A ball bounces more than once in that player’s court.

The opponent is not entitled to make these calls. The principle of giving the
opponent the benefit of any doubt applies.

That passage comes from the Bible: Friend at Court page 38

As it says above, you are supposed to make this call on yourself. It is a violation - no gray area. If you touch or run into the net, you are supposed to call yourself on it and award our opponent the point. To not do so is a clear case of cheating.

Don't do that. Don't cheat. Follow the rules. Touch the net and you lose the point.

It's really quite simple. Okay, now go out there and have fun. And follow the rules!

Welcome to NETS - Launched Spring 2018

A new tennis season, and a new organization

March 28, 2018 - third day of practice

Spring has sprung - or at least it's trying to. The Superior High School Boys Tennis Team started practice in late March while snow still covered some courts, and the wind chill was below freezing. The team moved indoors at the University of Wisconsin for a couple of practices - but the limited availability of indoor court time forced the team outdoors under less than ideal conditions.

There are 24 players on the boys team in 2018. About half of those players are freshmen, which is a good thing. However, almost all of those players have never played tennis before, and they all have a great deal to learn. Some of them will be competing in matches very quickly due to numbers and the limited availability of some of the more experienced players.

This is why NETS was born. We want to create tennis opportunities for Superior youths so that they can have several years of tennis experience under their belts when they join the high school teams. All of the teams we play against in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota have players with many more years of tennis experience. We love the fact that these young Spartans choose tennis as one of their sports at the high school. We just want to help put them in the best position to succeed during their high school tennis careers - and that means starting them out prior to the 9th grade.

If you know any Superior youths who have expressed an interest in playing tennis, make sure they know about NETS and we'll help provide them with the learning opportunities that they need to become successful high school tennis players.  We'll also continue to provide playing opportunities after high school. Everyone says that tennis a LIFELONG SPORT! However, that will only be true if you have the opportunities to play throughout your life. We can help with that.  Cheers, Barry