The humidity was stifling in a recent doubles match and my sweaty partner, in mid-rally, had his racquet slip from his hand on our side of the court. We continued play and won the point. Should we have lost the point because my partner was racquetless?—Maura Houston, Colorado Springs, CO
You were yelling "Mine!" on every shot, right? Dropping your racquet on your side of the net is neither a cause for a let nor considered a hundrance for either team. USTA Comment 22.1 says that "such an occurrence is not sufficiently unusual to justify a let." You won the point.
Except where noted, answers are based on the ITF Rules of Tennis and USTA's The Code.
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