Official's Guide to ITF Rules of Tennis in South Africa All Ages 2026

Under Appendix VII of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

• Line umpires and net umpires, where assigned, make all calls relating to their line or the net, including foot faults on their line.
• The chair umpire calls any line (including foot faults) or the net where no line or net umpire is assigned, and has the right to overrule a line or net umpire when sure a clear mistake has been made.
• The chair umpire may stop or suspend play whenever necessary, and makes decisions on continuous play and coaching under whichever approved Code of Conduct is in operation.

Under Appendix VII of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, the chair umpire may overrule a line umpire or net umpire only when sure that a clear mistake has been made. The decided cases add:

• Immediately only: the overrule must come straight after the clear mistake. The chair umpire can't wait until the end of the point to overrule an earlier call in the rally.
• Never because of a protest: a chair umpire must never overrule as a result of a player's protest or appeal.
• Not when unsure: if the chair umpire couldn't see clearly but thought the ball was in, they may not overrule an "Out" call.
• If after an overrule the server is given a first service and the receiver argues it should be a second service, that is a question of tennis law, so the player may ask for the referee to decide.

Under Appendix VII of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

1. A line umpire who can't make a call must signal this immediately to the chair umpire, who then makes the decision.
2. If the line umpire can't make the call (or there is no line umpire) and the chair umpire can't decide the question of fact either, the point is replayed.

From the decided cases in Appendix VII of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

• A line umpire may correct a call, even after the chair umpire has announced the score, as long as the correction is made as soon as possible and is not the result of a player's protest or appeal.
• If a chair umpire or line umpire calls "Out" and then corrects it to good, the chair umpire decides whether the original "Out" call hindered either player:
  • Hindrance: the point is replayed.
  • No hindrance: the player who hit the ball wins the point.

Under Rule 18 of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, during the service motion the server must not:

1. Change position by walking or running (slight movements of the feet are allowed);
2. Touch the baseline or the court with either foot;
3. Touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline with either foot; or
4. Touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark with either foot.

• In singles, the server may not stand behind the part of the baseline between the singles and doubles sidelines. In doubles this is allowed.
• The server may have one or both feet off the ground.
• A foot fault is a service fault.

Who calls it: where line umpires are assigned, the line umpire on that line calls foot faults. Where there is no line umpire for that line, the chair umpire calls it.

Rule 26 of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

• Hindered by a deliberate act of the opponent(s): the hindered player wins the point.
• Hindered by an unintentional act of the opponent(s), or by something outside the player's control (not a permanent fixture): the point is replayed.

Decided cases:

• An unintentional double hit is not a hindrance.
• A player who stops because they thought their opponent was hindered loses the point.
• A ball in play hitting a bird flying over the court: replay.
• A ball or object that was already lying on the player's own side when the point started: not a hindrance.
• In doubles, the server's and receiver's partners may stand anywhere on their own side, but the hindrance rule applies if they hinder the opponents.
• If a ball is blown back over the net and the player legally reaches over to play it, the chair umpire decides whether any hindrance by the opponent was deliberate (point to the hindered player) or unintentional (replay).

Ball mark inspection procedures (2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix VII):

1. Ball marks can be inspected only on clay courts.
2. A player's request is allowed only if the chair umpire can't determine the call with certainty from the chair, and only on a point-ending shot or when the player stops play during a rally (a return is allowed, then they must stop).
3. The chair umpire goes down and inspects the mark personally. A line umpire can help find it, but the chair umpire inspects it.
4. If the mark can't be found or is unreadable, the original call or overrule stands.
5. Once the chair umpire has ruled on a mark, the decision is final and can't be appealed.
6. Don't announce the score too quickly on clay unless certain; wait if an inspection may be needed.
7. In doubles, the appeal must stop play; a wrong or late appeal may be treated as a deliberate hindrance.
8. A player who erases the mark before the final decision concedes the call.
9. A player who crosses the net to check a mark is subject to the Unsportsmanlike Conduct provision of the Code of Conduct.

At tournaments using an Electronic Review System (2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, Appendix VII):

1. A player can ask for a review of a line call or overrule only on a point-ending shot, or by stopping play during a rally (a return is allowed, but then the player must stop immediately).
2. The chair umpire should use the review when there is doubt about the call, but may refuse an unreasonable or late request.
3. In doubles, the appeal must stop play or be made so the chair umpire stops play. If the procedure was wrong or late, the chair umpire may decide the opponents were deliberately hindered, and the appealing team loses the point.
4. If the system can't make a decision, the original call or overrule stands.
5. The review result is the chair umpire's final decision and can't be appealed.

Number of challenges: three unsuccessful appeals per set, plus one extra in a tie-break. In advantage sets, players get three again at 6-6 and every 12 games after. A match tie-break counts as a new set (three appeals). Successful appeals are unlimited.

Rule 29 (Continuous Play) of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis says play should be continuous from the first serve to the end of the match:

• Time runs from the moment a point finishes until the first serve of the next point is struck.
• Organisers can apply to the ITF to extend the 90 and 120 second limits.
• With a match tie-break replacing the final set, there is a 120-second set break before it.

Under Rule 29 of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

• No extra time is given for a player to recover their condition.
• A player with a treatable medical condition may be allowed one medical time-out of three minutes for that condition.
• If clothing, footwear or necessary equipment (not the racket) breaks or needs replacing for reasons outside the player's control, reasonable extra time may be allowed.
• A limited number of toilet / change of attire breaks may be allowed if announced before the event.
• Organisers may allow a rest period of up to 10 minutes after the 2nd set of a best-of-three match (or the 3rd set of a best-of-five), if announced before the event.

Event regulations add the detail; for example, at ITF junior events singles players get one toilet break per match, taken on a set break.

Under Appendix VII of the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis:

• The chair umpire may stop or suspend play at any time they decide it is necessary or appropriate.
• The referee may also stop or suspend play for darkness, weather or adverse court conditions.
• When play is suspended for darkness, it should be done at the end of a set, or after an even number of games in the set in progress.
• After a suspension, the score and the players' positions on court stand when the match resumes.

At ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors tournaments (2026 Code of Conduct), code violations such as audible or visible obscenity, verbal or physical abuse, ball or racket abuse, unsportsmanlike conduct and coaching are penalised as follows:

• After the third violation, the ITF Supervisor decides whether each further offence is a default.
• Point Penalty Schedule penalties are final and can't be appealed.
• The Supervisor can default a player immediately for a single serious violation.

Time violations are separate: the first is a warning; after that, a server is given a fault and a receiver a point penalty for each violation. If the delay is due to a medical condition, refusal to play or not returning to court in time, it is a Delay of Game code violation on the Point Penalty Schedule.

The chair umpire or referee makes decisions on continuous play and coaching under whichever approved Code of Conduct is in operation, so other events may use a different code.

The 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis (Appendix I) treat play above 1,219 m (4,000 ft) above sea level as high altitude, which covers Johannesburg and Pretoria. Three ball options are approved there:

Otherwise, ball type is matched to court pace: Type 1 (fast) is intended for slow courts such as most clay; Type 2 (medium) for medium-slow to medium-fast courts such as most acrylic hard courts; Type 3 (slow) for fast courts such as grass.

Red, orange and green balls for 10 and under events have their own specifications.