How do penalties work under the Point Penalty System?

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Code violations (USTA Table 14) include audible or visible profanity, racket or ball abuse, verbal or physical abuse, audible or visible coaching, retaliatory (deliberately bad) calls, failing to follow an official's instructions, and abusive conduct by a parent, coach or other person associated with you. Penalties go: First offense: point Second offense: game Third offense: default A single flagrant act can mean an immediate default. Time violations (Table 15), such as taking more than 25 seconds between points or running over a changeover or set break: the first is a warning, then one point for each one after that. Your opponent can't decline a penalty given to you. Each code violation also adds 2 suspension points to your USTA record, and 10 suspension points within 12 months means a 3-month suspension from sanctioned tournaments (Table 17; Reg. IV.F).