Net Notes: Line calls hit at the heart of character

You are not doing your opponent a favor when, after calling a ball out and then realizing that it was in, you correct your call and suggest that you replay the point. Every ball landing near a line on your side of the net is an opportunity to expose your character for better or worse.

The basic rules of tennis do not dictate your response to a close call on your side of the net other than to suggest that if the ball is on the line it is in.

You have total control of that decision when making a close call.

Some players — though a rare breed in my competitive experience — will treat the opponent's close-to-the-line shots as being in rather than out. Those very same players, thinking they are a pillar of good sportsmanship, will often, and correctly so, check for a mark when playing on a clay court.

The occasion of players changing their original "out" call to a call of "in" is the point at which character is bared. If an out ball is called and later changed because clean placement is established, the point must be awarded to the opponent without hesitation.

On the other hand, if players call a ball out, but could have successfully returned the ball, only then is it appropriate to offer to replay the point after reversing the call. But only if they have had a clean strike of the ball — not a return that would have allowed their opponent a winner — would they be allowed to replay the point.

The replay, or play two, option is overused by many players who give a bad call on your winning shot, then attempt to redeem their good conscience by giving you a chance to win the point over again for a second time.

The next time someone offers you the "let's play two" option, use this character test to see if they're doing you, or themselves, a favor.