Match is suspended

The chair umpire can suspend a match due to unavoidable circumstances that may cause the courts to be unplayable or when conditions threaten the safety of the players and spectators. Two of the more common reasons are extreme weather conditions and darkness. Whenever possible, especially when the suspension is due to darkness, the umpire should wait until the end of a set or after the player has played an even number of games in the set.

At the beginning of a match players usually toss a coin to determine who serves first and which side of the court to start on. Players then take a short warm-up, but sometimes a match gets suspended before players even get a chance to warm up. If this was to happen and you’re the player who first won the toss, you can choose again before you start your match.

Once the officials determine the court is playable and the conditions are favorable to play a match, players hop back on the court and start where they left off. The score stays the same, and players take the same side of the court they were on before the suspension. They can take another warm-up but only if their match was suspended for more than 15 minutes. During this warm-up, used balls should be used whenever possible. They will then play with the match balls when they resume their match.

In most cases, the court players start their match on, they finish on. But there is an exception to this. If they are playing in a singles tournament and their match gets suspended due to weather, it can be moved to another court or indoors to allow them to finish. The change in courts must take place at the end of a set or after an even number of games have been played in the set.

An official can suspend a match due to a medical condition such as an illness, injury, a heat-related issue or any condition needing a diagnosis and treatment. If a player injury themselves enough so that a lot of bleeding occurs, the match can be suspended up to15 minutes so the bleeding can be brought under control and the court can be cleaned up, if necessary. No coaching is allowed when a match is suspended due to a medical or bleeding suspension.

Sometimes a malfunction can affect clothing, shoes or some other piece of equipment, so that it’s impossible for a player to continue to play. You can ask for a temporary suspension and an official can suspend the match long enough for them to leave the court to adjust and correct the problem. Matches can also be suspended to allow a player to replace a lost contact lens. This doesn’t apply to a racket. If it breaks, a match will not be suspended to allow a player to leave the court to obtain another — a good reason to carry a spare.