Once you understand the basic rules and regulations of tennis, the game appears relatively straightforward. Keep the ball inside the lines, clear the net and return it before the second bounce. However, unusual situations can produce decisions that surprise even experienced players.
Can you catch a ball that is clearly going out? What happens if your racket slips out of your hand? Is it legal to hit the ball around the net rather than over it? The answers below are based on the official 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, with additional practical interpretations from the 2026 USTA Friend at Court.
1. Can You Touch the Net?
You lose the point if you, your racket or anything you are wearing or carrying touches the net while the ball is still in play. This includes the net posts, singles sticks, cable, centre strap and white band across the top of the net. It does not matter whether the contact affects your opponent.
Timing is important. If the ball has already bounced out, bounced twice or otherwise ended the point, touching the net does not change the result. However, you cannot touch the net simply because a ball looks certain to go out. You must wait until the ball actually lands or the point ends in another legal way.
This rule also applies to equipment that leaves your body. If your hat, racket or vibration dampener touches the net while the ball is live, you lose the point. (ITF Rule 24)
2. What Happens If the Ball Hits Another Ball?
If the ball in play hits another tennis ball lying inside the correct court, the point normally continues. The collision does not automatically create a let, and the ball that was in play remains the live ball.
If the collision sends both balls moving and nobody can determine which one was returned, a let should be called and the point replayed. A ball that was already on the court when the point began is generally treated as part of the court, so a player cannot leave it there, wait for a bad bounce and then demand a let.
The situation is different when a ball rolls onto the court from elsewhere during a rally. A player should call a let immediately when the ball creates a genuine interruption or safety risk. Do not continue playing and then request a let after seeing who wins the point. (ITF Rules 23, 25 and 26)
3. Can You Catch the Ball?
You cannot catch a live ball simply because it is obviously travelling out. If you catch it before it bounces, you lose the point. The same applies if you are standing several metres outside the court and there is no realistic chance the ball would have landed in.
A ball is not officially out until it touches the ground or another object outside the correct court. Until then, it remains in play. You must either let it land or make a legal return.
There is one important exception. After releasing the ball for a serve, you may decide not to hit it and catch it with your hand or racket without receiving a fault. You may also allow the toss to fall to the ground. However, if you attempt to strike the ball and miss it, the result is a service fault. (ITF Rules 19 and 24)
4. What Happens If Your Racket Flies Out of Your Hand?
Dropping your racket does not automatically cost you the point, and it does not create a let. If you were holding the racket when you struck the ball, the shot can still be legal even if the racket immediately slips from your hand. If the shot becomes a winner, you win the point.
The rally continues if the racket lands harmlessly on your side of the court. You may retrieve it and continue playing if you have enough time. The USTA’s official interpretation confirms that a dropped racket is not grounds for stopping or replaying the point.
You will lose the point if the loose racket touches the net or your opponent’s court while the ball is live. You also lose if the ball touches the racket while you are not holding it. Throwing your racket towards the ball to make a return is therefore illegal, even if the racket hits the ball into the correct court. (ITF Rule 24)
5. Can You Change Your Racket During a Match?
You may change your racket between points or during a changeover. There is no rule requiring you to finish a game, set or match with the racket you used at the start. Players frequently switch rackets because of broken strings, grip problems or changes in string tension.
The change must not create an unreasonable delay. The rules do not provide additional equipment time specifically for replacing a racket, so you should have a spare racket close to the court. Breaking a string during a rally does not entitle you to stop the point or request a let.
Interestingly, the ITF rules normally allow a player to continue using a racket with broken strings unless the tournament has introduced a specific restriction. However, a player cannot use more than one racket at the same time. (ITF Rules 4 and 29)
6. Can You Hit Around the Net?
The ball does not always have to travel over the net. An around-the-post shot is legal if the ball travels outside the net post and lands inside the correct court. It may pass above or below the height of the net.
This usually happens when a player is pulled far outside the sideline and can curve or drive the ball around the post. The player may also cross the imaginary extension of the net outside the court while chasing the ball, provided they do not touch the opponent’s court.
In singles matches using singles sticks and a doubles net, the ball can even pass through the gap between a singles stick and the adjacent net post, below the net cord, without touching anything. If it lands in the correct court, it is a good return. (ITF Rules 24 and 25)
7. Can You Reach Over the Net?
You normally cannot reach across the net and strike the ball before it has passed to your side. Doing so results in an immediate loss of the point. However, your follow-through may cross over the net after you have contacted the ball on your own side.
There is also a rare exception involving spin or wind. If your opponent’s shot lands correctly on your side and then spins or blows back across the net, you may reach over the net and hit it. You must avoid touching the net or the opponent’s court while the ball remains in play.
This means a player can legally contact the ball on the opponent’s side, but only after the ball has first bounced on the player’s own side and returned across the net. (ITF Rules 24 and 25)
8. What Happens If the Ball Hits You Before It Lands?
If a live ball touches your body, clothing or anything you are carrying other than your racket, you lose the point. This remains true when you are standing outside the court and the ball was clearly heading out.
The same rule applies if the ball touches your shoe, hat or a spare ball in your pocket. You cannot claim that the shot would have missed the court because the ball never had the opportunity to land.
If a serve hits the receiver or the receiver’s doubles partner before bouncing, the server wins the point unless the ball first touched the net and created a service let. This can happen when the receiver’s partner stands close to the service box. (ITF Rule 24)
9. Is an Accidental Double Hit Legal?
An accidental double hit can be legal. If the ball touches the strings twice during one continuous swing, the return remains valid. This often happens when a ball catches the frame and strings almost simultaneously.
The point is lost when the player deliberately carries the ball, catches it on the strings or makes a separate second push. The important difference is whether the second contact was intentional.
Doubles has an additional restriction. Both partners cannot touch the ball while making a return. If the ball clips one partner’s racket before the other partner hits it over the net, their team loses the point. (ITF Rule 24)
10. Is an Underarm Serve Legal?
Serving underarm is completely legal. The server may release the ball in any direction and strike it before it touches the ground. The rules do not require an upward toss or an overhead serving motion.
The usual requirements from a tennis serve guide still apply. The server must begin from the correct position behind the baseline, avoid a foot fault and send the ball diagonally into the correct service box. The receiver must also be ready before the serve is delivered.
You do not need your opponent’s permission to serve underarm. However, you cannot rush the serve while the receiver is clearly unprepared. (ITF Rules 16, 18 and 21)
11. Can the Receiver Stand Anywhere?
The receiver may stand anywhere on their side of the net, either inside or outside the court lines. A player could legally stand close to the service line, several metres behind the baseline or outside the singles sideline.
Regardless of position, the receiver must allow the serve to bounce before returning it. If the receiver volleys the serve before it bounces, the receiver loses the point. Standing close also creates the risk of being struck by the serve, which would give the point to the server.
In doubles, the receiver’s partner may also stand anywhere on their own side. However, a position or movement used deliberately to distract the server can be treated as a hindrance. (ITF Rules 8, 24 and 26)
12. What Happens If the Ball Breaks During a Point?
If a ball genuinely breaks during a rally, the point must be replayed. A broken ball has suffered a serious failure, such as losing its compression completely, and should be replaced before play resumes.
A soft ball is treated differently. If the players discover after a point that the ball has become soft but is not broken, the completed point stands. The ball should be removed from play, but the player who lost the point is not entitled to a replay.
This prevents players from challenging completed points whenever they notice that an older ball feels slower or less lively. (ITF Rule 3)
13. What Happens If the Ball Hits a Bird?
The official rules specifically address this unusual situation. If the ball in play strikes a bird flying above the court, it is considered an outside hindrance and the point must be replayed.
The same general principle may apply when an unexpected outside object genuinely interferes with play. However, something that was already lying on the player’s side when the point began does not normally entitle that player to a let. Players should remove spare balls and other loose objects before starting the next point. (ITF Rule 26)
14. What Happens If the Ball Hits a Permanent Fixture?
Permanent fixtures include back fences, side fences, spectator stands, seats and officials or ball persons when they are in their recognised positions. The timing of the contact determines who wins the point.
If your shot hits a permanent fixture before bouncing inside the correct court, you lose the point. For example, a lob that strikes the ceiling before landing inside the baseline is out.
If the ball first bounces inside the correct court and then hits a permanent fixture, you win the point. Once the legal bounce occurs, your opponent must return the ball before it reaches the fence, wall or another permanent fixture. (ITF Rule 13)