Illegal Equipment

The parent of a high school player recently contacted the USHSTA because an undefeated female player in his daughter’s leagues was playing with an extremely large racquet.

It’s a good idea to know that there are rules which govern racquets, stringing, balls and courts in the event that you have concerns about a particular situation.

Below is the question and answer to this particular situation, which may help you in future situations.

Question
As a parent of a girl playing high school tennis, I am attempting to find out whether high school play is to be conducted according to the rules of the USTA. The particular situation I am trying to investigate is whether the racquet used by the league’s only undefeated #1 position player is legal for competition. According to the USTA rules, racquets are to be no longer than 29 inches and there is a maximum frame width as well as a maximum size for the stringbed. The undefeated player is using a Gamma Big Bubba which

appears to be about 32 inches in length and has a huge stringbed. The leverage and spin she gets on her shots are astounding. The racquet appears to have provided an unfair advantage. Please advise as to (1) whether USTA rules apply; (2) whether this racquet is legal for competition at the high school level, and (3) what recourse players might have if they have lost to a player using an illegal racquet.

Thank you.

Answer
The answer to your questions are fairly simple, but will require a few phone calls, since there is no national standard for high school tennis match play (each state makes its own rules).

First, your daughter probably plays for a school which is part of an athletic conference that has rules and regulations. Most likely, matches are played under USTA rules.

If the league/conference doesn’t dictate whether or not match play is governed by USTA rules, your daughter’s matches are probably governed by the state high school athletic association’s rules, which cover each high school in the state (if that school wants to participate in state playoffs). They probably specify USTA rules.

I would find out what conference your daughter plays in and get a copy of the conference rules. If it says matches are played under USTA rules, then racquets are governed.

Next, I would check the USTA’s rules on racquets. If you go to www.usta.com, on the left-hand side of the page, there is a rules button. Try this link, which confirms your assertions about frames…

If you get a ruling that this player’s racquet is ineligible, depending on league rules, you may be able to get all of her previous matches ruled as losses.

Hope this helps, and please e-mail me back with the results of your investigation.