That foot-fault rule....

Players need a way of legally challenging a call of foot-fault.  Interestingly, the controversial calls of foot-fault all seem to be against home players.  Over the weekend, we saw Hewitt called for foot-fault several times by one linesman, but not at all on the other side of the net.  Despite several replays, we could not see any justification for the call of foot-fault.  Eventually, the authorities quietly replaced the linesman.

The most infamous case was that of Serena Williams at that US Open.  She now admits that her reaction was over the top, and she has apologised for it, but that also was a call for foot-fault that was NOT a foot-fault.  So, her loss of temper can be almost understandable, when you consider the timing of that call, the stage of the match, and the fact that it was NOT a foot-fault.

The next year, also at the US Open, Roddick suffered from a linesman who called him for foot-fault.  He angrily protested, with a few choice words, and the linesman was replaced.  It is curious that both Roddick and Hewitt succeeded in getting the linesman replaced, and Serena did not, but we all know that there's one law for the Medes, and another for the Persians....

Quite simply, if the authorities would just work towards having a means for players to challenge calls for foot-faults, it would help to dispel this controversy.

Maybe Serena could have been just a little bit more tactful in asking for the lines person to be replaced....

It's not always the home player who gets called for foot faulting though. Karlovic who very rarely foot faults was called out for 11 in one match when he was playing the local player.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/9366113/Wimbledon-2012-Ivo-Karlovic-calls-for-public-apology-after-Andy-Murray-foot-fault-saga.html

It would prevent controversy if there was a way to challenge a foot fault.

How can we be certain a player isn't footfaulting? I haven't seen a camera angle of the Serena one that makes clear she didn't foot-fault and Serena clearly won't have had the faintest idea if her foot just touched the line or not. I think its far more likely a linesman looking just at the foot and the line is right than not.

That said it would be best if there was a way to challenge. I don't know if they could use HE or if they would need a camera looking directly along the baseline but no doubt a system could be put in place.

I'd think an aerial shot combined with one completely parallel to the service line is all thats needed. a little costly I suppose but these greedy capitalists have to start giving us our moneys worth

I'm sure Karlovic would have something to say about the 11 he got in one match last year...

Odd that. One has to assume he was over-pressing in a big match against a dangerous returner as it wasn't just one linesman who was calling him. I'm assuming no-one is seriously suggesting bias or conspiracy?

No. Karlovic was the one suggesting it...
“After this match the credibility of this tournament went down for me. I feel cheated. On a Grand Slam Centre Court...I don’t know what to say. Right now I am angry about this, a bit p***** because I don’t expect it here. In my whole life, since I was eight-years-old, I did not do this many foot-faults. I had a chance definitely, but 11 foot-faults cannot go unwritten because this is outrageous. After I don’t know how many, I stood back a bit so they cannot call, but they still did it. It is Wimbledon and this is bull****. Even though it is the British guy they always want to win, I don’t expect it.”

Karlovic was asked if he thought the officials were biased.
“Definitely”

I am aware that Ivo made those allegations - I'm sure he was most upset at the time. I guess from the way you have commented that you think his comments have credence. Personally, I think it is highly unlikely that all the linesmen got together and hatched a plot to take down Big Ivo. However, it would be nice to know for certain.

Why would they bother? Seriously? The result was never in doubt. After all why not wait until Murray played Federer in the final. All mere pie in the sky.

Born Slippy wrote:I guess from the way you have commented that you think his comments have credence.

Then you guessed wrong. I brought it up because Karlovic also asked for a better way of assessing foot faults which is related to OP. Personally, I don't think it's needed.

interesting question. some comments on the Serena one, which is the only one I've seen. IIRC that foot-fault was called on a second serve which gave Clijsters a match point, point which Serena promptly defaulted through her silly/disgraceful antics thereafter, so there wasn't exactly much of an opportunity to change the linesman. As such, shivfan is a bit mischievous in bringing out the "one law for the Medes, and another for the Persians" line, surely... I also having seen multiple replays can't really be sure one way or another on that one, as to whether it was a foot-fault or not. Certainly no angle I saw was enough to convince me that it absolutely wasn't one, and as BS says, there's no real way for a player to be sure if he/she's foot-faulted on one particular serve or not.

What to do? I can think of several solutions:
- carry on with the current system. After all, these "controversies" are few and far between really. Usually the linesman will call the first foot-fault on "less important" points (i.e. first serve, and not on BP or 30-30/deuce). It is then up to the player to realise he/she is pushing it, and needs to just step back a little.
- bring in a "challenge" system for foot-faults, i.e. the player can challenge a foot-fault call in the way he can challenge a line call. The umpire (I guess) then views the replays and makes a decision. I think it's important that if there's sufficient doubt he sides with the linesman.
- have the linesman say (after the point has been played) that they think the player foot-faulted, and the previous process to repeat.
- if the player is getting close to foot-faulting, the linesman could signal it to the umpire who could then mention it to the player at the next change of ends. If player carries on and foot-faults, go to solution 1.

I wouldn't mind any of the options apart from option 3, which has too much revisionism after the facts for my liking, and would possibly/probably slow down the game a bit too much.

I have a story about some dodgy use of the foot fault rule...

A friend has a daughter who plays in the junior tournaments. She had recently moved up to the next age range and so was perhaps seen as a little naive. When playing a match in the juniors they have to call it themselves and her opponent kept calling her for a foot fault. There was nothing she could do. I'm not even sure if calling foot faults is even allowed in situations like this (A bit tricky to see from the other side of the court for starters). Maybe Lydian would know? It's a jungle out there in junior tennis...

In a way it would be just as tricky at ATP level if a lines person decided to wrongfully call foot faults as there is no way of checking. I realize that this can happen with line calls too but at least it's more clearly visible to everyone watching and the umpire can also over rule. That puts a sort of second check on line calls.

HE - players cant make calls for the other side of the court. They cant call foot-fault - they can complain about it and ask for the tournament umpire but cant call it a fault itself. Likewise, they can call a ball out on their side but not on the other side of the net.