In sports, rules have to be followed. But, etiquette is open to interpretation!

There is also conventional wisdom on how each game should be played. Occasionally, it makes sense to pause and wonder what would happen if you went against the grain. So, here are eleven questions for squash and tennis players that you may not get from your club pro.

Do you challenge the referee when you clearly feel that a call should have gone your way?

If you are good-natured and let doubtful calls go every time, you may not be doing yourself any favours. There is a reason that Jonathan Power and John McEnroe perfected the look of disbelief when calls didn’t go their way. While the introduction of Hawk-eye and similar technologies have lessened the influence that tantrums on the court can have, it is still used effectively by many club players to sway decisions in their favour.

Remember, it is always the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!

If you picked up a low hard shot on the second bounce and the referee called it good, will you stop play and give the point away?

Technically, it is not your call, it is the referee’s.

But, referees are human and make mistakes; especially when they don’t have a clear line of sight to the ball. At the club level, it may make sense to admit to the double bounce. But, I would be surprised if the pros feel obliged to do any such thing.

If your opponent does not clear and the referee only gives you a “let,” will you prove your point by taking a shot that hits your opponent?

Personally, I would not. I would resort to challenging the referee on it. However, many people do choose to prove their point by taking the shot and earning the point. If you do choose this option, make sure that you do not do it on a turn-around shot.

If you are down one game and 1-9 in the second in a squash game, will you try to come back, or save your energy for the third game?

This is a tough one!

If you have the fitness, I would suggest trying to come back. Losing 11-1 can be bad for your morale as you go into the third game.

Do you play more aggressively when you play squash under the “point-on-serve” scoring format vs. the point-a-rally format?

If you play the same game under the two formats, it’s time to stop and think. Under the hand-out system, you can be more aggressive when you are serving. You don’t run the risk of losing a point if your opponent wins the rally.

If you did not hit the tin in an entire squash match, is it a good thing?

Most errors in professional matches are made when a player hits the tin. If you never hit the tin in a match, it could imply that you played too safe and were not aggressive enough.

Have you won, or, lost more matches, after having led by two sets?

On reflection, I would say that I came out even on the above question. But there are some who are better at winning matches than others. You may be a better player in many cases, but, can you win matches?

Do you take more risks when you are ahead?

It never hurts to put pressure on your opponent when you are ahead. The alternate option is to play safe and hold on to your lead. I would pick the former.

In tennis, if you served an ace that clipped the tape resulting in a “let”, would you try the same serve again, or go for something else?

I would say go for the same serve. While you can argue that the surprise element is lost, you can counter-argue that your opponent expects you to do something else and the same serve would be unexpected.

If you didn’t make a single double fault in an entire tennis match, is it a good thing?

I would argue that it is not a good thing. To me, it means that you played safe by taking something off the second serve to keep it in play.

If you have a clean overhead shot in doubles tennis, and your best chance to win the point is to hit your opponent, will you hit away?

The right shot is to go for the opponent’s feet. Going for that shot would mean that you do run the risk of hitting the person’s body. Overhead shots are not soft; so, if you are on the receiving end of things, it is wise to stay out of the way of the shot than blame your opponent for hitting you.

Clearly, the answers to the questions above would vary based on the situation and context.

Hopefully, these questions give you some perspective.

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