Court of Appeals: Perfectly Framed

I hit the one-in-a-million framed overhead that bounced on my opponent’s side and then came back over to mine. But I caught the ball with my racquet before it landed. My opponent was at his baseline and had no chance of getting to the ball. As we laughed at the shot he mentioned that technically it was interference on my part. Was it?—Daylen Davis, Omaha, NE

Even though you didn’t hinder your opponent under Rule 26 because he had no play on the ball, you lose the point under Rule 24.f because you deliberately touched a ball in play “more than once.”

Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.

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