FRIEND AT COURT 2010 - USTA.com

arrangements that are mutually agreeable to the players to finish at a later date,
or in the absence of such arrangements, declare the tournament event unfinished.
FAC Comment III.G-1: The Referee should cancel matches on a division-bydivision
basis and should try to avoid a situation in which some, but not all,
matches in a round in a division are completed.
FAC Comment III.G-2: What does a Referee do if a tournament event cannot be
finished without violating some of the scheduling guidelines? First, the Referee
may not violate the minimum rest between matches set forth in Table 9. Second,
the Referee should remember that the principle behind these guidelines is the
protection of the health of the players. Third, the Referee should keep to a
minimum the number of situations in which the guidelines in USTA Regulation
II.D.12. and Tables 6 and 7 are not followed. For example, it makes sense to start
a 12-and-under match after 8 p.m. if that will prevent several players from having
to play three singles matches the following day. This situation might also mean that
the Referee may have to delay the start of the next morning’s matches in order to
give a player enough sleep over night. In short the Referee has to use judgment,
keeping in mind the principle of the health of the players.
H. Ball Change Errors, Ball Replacement, and Practice Balls
1. Ball change errors. Ball change errors are handled under ITF Rules of Tennis
27i.
2. Balls that become unfit for play. If a ball becomes unfit for play (for example,
ball breaks or loses compression), it shall be replaced immediately. If a
ball becomes wet, it may be taken out of play temporarily until it dries, or
it may be replaced.
3. Replacement of balls. If a ball has to be replaced during the warm-up or
before the start of the third game after a ball change, the ball shall be
replaced with a new ball. At all other times it shall be replaced with a ball
of like wear to the remaining balls.
4. Resuming play after suspension of match. In matches where a ball change
is authorized only at the start of the third set, warm-up after a suspension
may be conducted with the match balls.
In all other matches, warm-ups after a suspension should be
conducted with balls other than the match balls. If other balls are not
available, then the match balls may be used, but the balls should be
changed two games sooner than the originally specified number of games.
When an Umpire or Referee determines that the condition of the balls has
materially changed since suspension of play, the match shall be resumed
with balls whose condition is equivalent to the condition of the balls that were
being used before their condition materially changed. If this is not possible,
the match shall be resumed with new balls and re-warm-up shall be
conducted with the new balls.
5. Practice during intermission. The Referee may permit practice on the match
court during an intermission, but not with the match balls.
116 USTA REGULATIONS III.G. (Shortening Tournaments)