Message Boards

This is a pertinent thread and the issue should be in the forefront. Last night didn't address regulation, but behavior. Roddick is above what he displayed.

The bigger question is integrity and the organization behind the sport. In the first case it's being threatened every day for lack of the second. There should be an all-encompassing ruling body with a Commissioner to enfore the rules fairly and quickly.

* Foot faults should be challengeable.
* The chair umpire must oversee the match with authority.
* Lines people should never be berated or dismissed without cause to placate the players.
* The mouthing-off has got to be dealt with to bring it to an end.

Last night was a black eye for tennis with the aforementioned behavior and the Milquetoast behavior of a gutless umpire Sport tennis showed once again last night that it is wallowing like a ship without a rudder.

QUOTE:

Originally posted by

You cannot practice selective enforcement in any sport. The FF rule exists for a very good reason. Check "Serenas Behavior", post #28. In a friendly game, if you want to cheat, it's between you and the person you're playing. When you play to earn a living, there are people called linesmen who enforce the rules. There is a person, duly trained, who watches for nothing else but that at service. On first point or match point, if a professional with prize money on the line commits the fault.....................tough bananas!!

Absolutely. It doesn't matter if its at a critical point, set point, match point etc. A foot fault if not called gives an unfair advantage to the server. He or she has inched closer which produces an advantage. I think I'd be okay with a review of the footfault in question, say once a match challenge or something like that to make sure they got it right. If they don't implement such a rule, then the call stands!