Ever made this call?

[FMadera]

Originally Posted by Antonio.King

If anyone did opt to make this call, they'd use the foot fault signal as this would be classed as a service fault instead of it being "out".

I thought this was an illegal service, with the illegal service signal. I could be wrong though.

[Antonio.King]

Originally Posted by FMadera

I thought this was an illegal service, with the illegal service signal. I could be wrong though.

I could be wrong too. I always think that hand signal refers to the contact though, so that's just my left field brain process.

[FMadera]

Originally Posted by Antonio.King

I could be wrong too. I always think that hand signal refers to the contact though, so that's just my left field brain process.

It refers to a drop (no contact) as well, so who knows? :-)

To answer the original question, I would always use preventive officiating to keep them on the court. I stop the serve and say loud enough "don't stop on the concrete." They have always gotten the hint after the second time, if not the first.

Not that it's happened, but after I've warned twice, if a player were to make absolutely no effort not to step on the concrete and blatantly does it again (for example, the entire foot), I'd probably call it. It's never come to that. Yet. :-)

[chapmaja]

Interesting situation. I think the official was correct in the decision to grant the opponent the point, given what was described, but this might one of the calls he/she just had to make a signal up on because he/she had never seen it before either.

I personally would not have called it, but would have let the player know that she needed to be in proper position during the serving action.

I think this is one of those that requires preventative officiating unless the player repeatedly ignores said preventative officiating measures, at which point you need to call it as an official.