Can I touch the net between points?

by Dave G
(Passaic, NJ)

I was playing in a match today and my opponent is a friend. After I won the point, I was near the net and he was behind the baseline. So, I stepped over the net to get the ball for him since he was serving.

He said to me I was not allowed to touch the net or go on his side and that I can be disqualified.

I thought he was joking but it happened a second time.

I won the match and didn't bring it up, but I thought that between points if I touched the net it would not be a problem

Answer

Hi Dave,

You cant touch the net during the point, but as soon as the ball has bounced twice and the point is over you are free to touch the net!

It is true that you are not allowed to cross onto the opponents side. However, if you need to cross over you can ask for permission by just saying

"Can I cross onto your side". You see players doing this a lot when playing on clay courts as they generally cross over sides to check the bounce mark.

Well done for winning the match :)

All the best,
Max