Tennis On Court Etiquette

The game of tennis is pretty etiquette heavy.  It is an upper middle class type sport.  In america, a lot of courts are accessible, thus allowing anyone to play tennis.  However, what separates the civilized from the beast is how you conduct yourself on the court.  Here are some things that won't get you in trouble, but you might lost some class points.

1.  Talking to Your Opponent - Many people have the type of personality in which they get chatty when they are under stress and they turn to their opponents to hold conversations with.  Professionals never talk to each other.  If they know they are talkative, they will talk to their coaches.  If you are chatty, bring a friend (make sure they know not to talk back), talk to yourself or your racket or your partner.  Keep everything concise.  Absolutely NO conversation with opponents between points or during.

Sidenote: Some people feel that talking to yourself ruins your game.  But that is usually because you are most likely going to talk to yourself when you are losing.  It is like someone who reads out loud when they are trying to comprehend something better.  Just keep it short.  There are PLENTY of champions that talk a lot.

2.  Let it GO - Hey!  Something bad happens.  You feel cheated.  That is what it is, leave it alone.  When the game gets tight, everyone wants balls to go out and they, subconciously, force that into their calls.  There was never a time when you thought something was going out and then you blinked or something and called it out anyway?

3.  No Cellphones - One of the worst things is when someone walks right off the court to answer their cellphone.  If you can watch a movie with your cellphone off, you can play a match.  There will probably never be a time when this is acceptable.  If your calls are so important that you cannot ignore your phone, let everyone know in advance.

4.  Time Wasting - One of the other worst things is when a person takes WAY too much time in between points and changeovers.  Sometimes they play over their body's ability and get over tired.  But tennis is a sport where you need to figure out how to pace yourself.  20-30 seconds in between points, 1.5 minutes - 2 minutes a change over.

5.  Police your support - Make sure your friends that come to see you support you in a proper way.  If they don't, you NEED to talk to them.

The general idea is: at all times, you show proper respect to your opponent no matter how you feel about them.

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