Most people think bad calls are of just one variety - calling a good shot out. But there is another way…
Some players wait to see if their service return is in before making the call.
You’ve lived this one. You scorch a serve. It sails just past the service line. You know it’s out, and so does your opponent. But he was already swinging, and wouldn’t you know, he just happens to blister a return on the line for a clear winner.
No worries, the serve was out. Right?
But there’s the rub. It’s only out if he calls it out. And he hasn’t called it out yet.
Wait, what’s that? He’s walking to the other side of the court in an obvious sign that he’s hit a winner to end the point. So you ask: “was that serve in?”. He doesn’t want to answer, to put words to the lie. He just shrugs his shoulders and says: “I played it”.
Oh, sure, he “played it”. No, he didn’t! He hit an accidental winner that’s about to become a notch on his belt. You ask again, “dud, that missed by a couple of inches, right?”. But he’s too deep into this one, he’s not going to give it up. “I thought it might have caught”, is the response. He’s using weasel words now, like “I thought”.
So cheap!
Nothing you can do. It’s his call. You’re left to rely on Tennis Karma. I’m putting it on the list of Cheating Principles.
Cheating Principle #1: never call a serve out if your return is a winner.