British Tennis Forum

seagull · Hall of fame

Weeks 19 & 20 - ATP Masters 1000 (Internazionali BNL d'Italia) - Rome, Italy (clay)

Var · Satellite level

seagull wrote:
Jack 2 wins away from a top 4 seeding at French Open. Unfortunately one of those will probably need to be against Alcaraz

I was just trying to work that one out seagull! There is a heck of a gap though to reach the top 3, more than 2500 points ahead.

Julia Carrot · All-time great

I don't like to see Jack smashing rackets and damaging the court also, but hey ho.

B00thy · Intermediate Club Player

Julia Carrot wrote:
I don't like to see Jack smashing rackets and damaging the court also, but hey ho.

I watched for 30 mins or so and missed that .. mind you what I did see was an out of sorts Jack, doing enough to grind out a win, and berating himself, so he must have been frustrated. It takes some effort to damage a clay court so you can't fault his energy

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Oooh, not sure about that B00thy - takes some effort to damage a hard court but you whack a clay court and you've instantly got a dent, you chip a chunk out very easily

I have no real problem with people ruining their own rackets (although I think from an environmental point of view it's pathetic - why should the planet have to make a whole new racket just cox X has thrown a paddy?)

But I have a major problem with players smashing rackets into the court,, clay and grass courts in particular.

DF · Tennis legend

There were sizable dents in the court

B00thy · Intermediate Club Player

you can tell I've never played on clay! And I too hate the damage of anything through anger, when was it, and how was he penalised?

DF · Tennis legend

a code violation

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

When Jack explodes and loses it, it really does lose it. Deserves a code violation, cant say it bothers me personally. I actually dislike the Andy and Novak style of constantly moaning at your box much more - always feel the player should own it and not berate or embarrass those in the box. So I disliked that immensely; dont think Jack does that. A bit of racquet smashing - as a former racquet smasher myself - doesnt bother me, although should never damage the courts etc.

B00thy · Intermediate Club Player

JonH comes home wrote:
When Jack explodes and loses it, it really does lose it. Deserves a code violation, cant say it bothers me personally. I actually dislike the Andy and Novak style of constantly moaning at your box much more - always feel the player should own it and not berate or embarrass those in the box. So I disliked that immensely; dont think Jack does that. A bit of racquet smashing - as a former racquet smasher myself - doesnt bother me, although should never damage the courts etc.

So essentially, a warning. He moves on and the court needs to be repaired. The racquet is totalled. The perpetrator goes unpunished. I get needing to release tension, needing to reset .. I used to shout, almost scream, or rap my knuckles against my head, hurting me. Nothing worked. But a code violation for racket abuse is one thing, and criminal damage of a tennis court is something else isn't it?

indiana · Tennis legend

Bring in the gendarmes lol

One can argue about the appropriate sporting sanction for such OTT behavior, and damaging the court surface is not clever, but please ...

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

B00thy wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
When Jack explodes and loses it, it really does lose it. Deserves a code violation, cant say it bothers me personally. I actually dislike the Andy and Novak style of constantly moaning at your box much more - always feel the player should own it and not berate or embarrass those in the box. So I disliked that immensely; dont think Jack does that. A bit of racquet smashing - as a former racquet smasher myself - doesnt bother me, although should never damage the courts etc.
So essentially, a warning. He moves on and the court needs to be repaired. The racquet is totalled. The perpetrator goes unpunished. I get needing to release tension, needing to reset .. I used to shout, almost scream, or rap my knuckles against my head, hurting me. Nothing worked. But a code violation for racket abuse is one thing, and criminal damage of a tennis court is something else isn't it?

Definitely should get more than a warning, maybe poinrs dediction or even disqualification if its really bad. But not sure we want to get the plods involved!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, I agree, you'd hope the police have better things to do - but B00thy has a point

If something IS a criminal offence, why should we allow it just because it's sport?

If Jack damages the court, that's OK? But if he goes and damages the clubhouse afterwards, that's not OK? Because one is in the heat of the moment and one isn't? Well, that's not a defence in most legal areas

English law has had a huge amount of hoo-hah about what level of consent is assumed for harm suffered in contact sports - a normal rugby tackle that breaks a player's arm is fine, a tackle 'off the ball' that does the same is just a violation of sporting rules ???? but if it's at the other end of the pitch it's GBH? Or does it have to be actually after the match ?

Not trying to be difficult - and, of course, in practice, deliberately making a few big divots is not a biggie - and it certainy doesn't offend or upset me - and some feistiness in sport is a good. But it does beg a few questions.....

And people who deliberately break their own rackets should be forced to donate to donate to some environmental charity - or a fund to provide free rackets to kids in deprived areas

the addict · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
.....

And people who deliberately break their own rackets should be forced to donate to donate to some environmental charity - or a fund to provide free rackets to kids in deprived areas

Racket and eqipment abuse is a code violation so I would expect him to be fined as a result. I don't recall anything else being in the rulebook but I will have another look sometime.

emmsie69 · Top national player

Coup Droit wrote:
Yes, I agree, you'd hope the police have better things to do - but B00thy has a point

If something IS a criminal offence, why should we allow it just because it's sport?

If Jack damages the court, that's OK? But if he goes and damages the clubhouse afterwards, that's not OK? Because one is in the heat of the moment and one isn't? Well, that's not a defence in most legal areas

English law has had a huge amount of hoo-hah about what level of consent is assumed for harm suffered in contact sports - a normal rugby tackle that breaks a player's arm is fine, a tackle 'off the ball' that does the same is just a violation of sporting rules ???? but if it's at the other end of the pitch it's GBH? Or does it have to be actually after the match ?

Not trying to be difficult - and, of course, in practice, deliberately making a few big divots is not a biggie - and it certainy doesn't offend or upset me - and some feistiness in sport is a good. But it does beg a few questions.....

And people who deliberately break their own rackets should be forced to donate to donate to some environmental charity - or a fund to provide free rackets to kids in deprived areas

My Son used to break his rackets, in the end I told him the next time he broke his racket, he'd be getting a £5 one from Woolies, maybe the punishment should be using a wooden racket at the next tournament biggrin

ETA The threat worked on him.

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Monday 12th of May 2025 05:43:09 AM