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Friday, November 13, 2015

Replays

Replays of rallies (or shots) are rare in pickleball. The rules make clear that there are only 4 situations where replays are allowed.

1. Service Let
  • The serve touches any part of the net and still lands in the service court. 
  • The ball is served when the receiver is not ready. 
  • The served ball hits the net and strikes the receiver or the receiver’s partner.

2. A hinder called by any player 

A hinder is any occurrence that affects play, e.g., a stray ball on the court, a non-player on or near the court, etc.

3. Broken or Cracked Ball 

Play continues until the end of the rally. If a broken or cracked ball affected the outcome of the rally, a player may call for a replay.

4. Temporary net systems

Some temporary net systems have a horizontal bar that may include a center base. If the ball hits the horizontal bar or the center base before going over the net, it is a fault. If the ball goes over the net and then hits the horizontal bar, the ball is still in play. If the ball goes over the net and then hits the center base (in the red circle below) or the ball gets caught between the net and the horizontal bar (in the purple oval below) before touching the court, it is a let and must be replayed.



Many players call for replays when there is uncertainty about the proper ruling. Rules interpretations such as interference or judgment calls such as ball landing "in" or "out" are common reasons to request a replay. 

Uncertainty about rules is clearly insufficient reason for a replay. Knowledge of the rules of play is necessary in any sport, including pickleball. Otherwise, you are playing some other sport. 

Uncertainty about judgments like line calls are covered in the rules. If you are not certain that the play resulted in a fault, like the ball landing outside the line, the benefit of the doubt is given to the opposing team. For example, a player must be certain a ball landed outside the line in order to call it "out". Without that certainty, the ball must be judged as "in".


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