At all levels of the sport, players have to abide by a set of rules during play. These rules will set out the scoring system, the way points are won and lost, along with the requirements for courts and equipment. On top of these, there will be a ‘code of conduct’ setting out guidelines for behaviour. Some players habitually breach this code, revelling in their reputation for rebellion, whereas others occasionally lose their composure, perhaps beginning to throw things and haranguing anyone who will listen.

Given that such bad behavior is generally pretty mild by society’s standards, TV companies and casual spectators tend to relish such outbursts, on the basis that they add to the entertainment value. Some players have gained notoriety that transcends the sport thanks to their ill-tempered rants.

A code violation in tennis happens when the code of conduct is breached. Many different offenses are classed under this heading, and fines will be applied on a sliding scale depending upon the governing body and status of the player. During a match, a player will first be warned and then subjected to increasingly severe sanctions.

What Do Code Violations Mean?

Essentially, a code violation is a breach of the code of conduct. At the professional level, the codes of conduct are set out by the ATP and WTA. These contain numerous requirements for everything from being on time, fulfilling media requirements, receiving coaching during a match, and not swearing or throwing things.

If a player fails to keep to one of these rules, the tournament officials will issue them with a code violation, which may bring with it further punishment. If a player receives a series of code violations during a match they will be sanctioned on a sliding scale, culminating in disqualification.

Different Types Of Code Violation

Players are expected to behave at all times as good role models. This sets rather a high bar for some wealthy young competitors with fragile temperaments, and code violations are not uncommon. Off the court, players can incur code violations for failing to meet their commitments to a tournament, and can incur substantial fines for not following the rules.

A common example occurs when a player who is obligated to attend a post-match press conference has just suffered a disappointing loss and decides to go straight home without answering any questions. They know they are going to be fined, but consider it to be the lesser of two evils.

On the court, players are expected to be polite to officials and the crowd, and not to throw or break anything in a fit of pique. Some of them find these rules hard to stick to, and incur code violations for swearing, throwing or breaking their racket, or hitting balls away in anger. ‘Unsportsmanlike conduct’ is a heading under which players are sometimes punished, basically meaning that the officials did not like the way they behaved.

How Much Do Code Violations Cost?

There is a tacit acceptance that players will incur occasional code violations. Players are fined, but for the top players the amounts are comfortably affordable. The rules do deter a series of code violations, however, by applying a sliding scale of punishments in matches. A warning for the first offense is followed by a point penalty, then a game penalty, and finally a default. If a player is defaulted from a major event, this can effectively cost them millions of dollars, so a cluster of code violations can be extremely expensive.

On the WTA Tour, common offenses like racket or ball abuse will incur fines of up to $2,500, increasing to $3,000 for the heinous offense of leaving the court without permission, with a slightly more significant limit of $10,000 for verbal or physical abuse, or not giving their best effort.

A similar pattern of offenses is punished on the ATP tour, but interestingly they almost encourage ball abuse and racket abuse by setting the maximum fines at a trivial $350 and $500 respectively, whereas the more serious offenses like verbal or physical abuse or not trying can be punished with fines of up to $20,000.

What Are Warnings In Tennis?

A warning is the first stage of the punishment scale for code violations. A player is told that they have incurred a code violation, and they know that the next offense will be punished by the deduction of what might be an important point. The code violation is still recorded and they are likely to be fined by their Tour.

Players Who Get The Most Code Violations

Sadly, there is no league table to refer to here, but some players are legendary for their infractions. John McEnroe remains a cultural icon for his on-court outbursts many years after the end of his career, and some of today’s players may be heading the same way.

Nick Kyrgios always seems to be on the verge of getting fined for something, whether it be not trying or the more prosaic offenses of swearing and breaking things. Luckily, he also has a talent and charisma that draws large crowds, so there will always be a place for him in the sport.

Fabio Fognini is similar in many ways, being highly strung and seemingly constantly at war with himself and the officials, yet also possessing a rare talent for shotmaking. Fabio’s highlights have included challenging an umpire to continue their discussion in the car park!

Benoit Paire is another player whose fragile temperament holds him back despite his considerable talent, and he is one who might be expected to feature strongly in any list of petulant racket-breakers.

Final Thoughts

Tennis needs colourful characters to attract TV coverage and casual spectators, and many of the players who incur the most fines are the ones who will attract interest and bring in money. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that players are rarely heavily punished for code violations.

Modern racket technology and technique have evolved in such a way that players now serve harder on average than ever before. The various governing bodies have made efforts to slow the game down by making changes to the balls and the court surfaces, but it is still true that, in men’s tennis in particular, serving provides a significant advantage.

Some of the leading players, like Alexander Zverev, produce an average speed of over 130 mph with their first serve, meaning that their opponents have very little time to react and make a telling return. As tennis matches consist largely of a series of ‘service games’, in which one player serves to begin each point until the game is won or lost, you will appreciate that any opportunity to win a game during which your opponent is serving is very valuable, especially at the top level. Far more games are won by the server than the returner in men’s tennis.

The situation in women’s tennis is slightly different, as most of the players are shorter and less muscular than the men. This limits the pace at which they can serve, although some, such as the Williams sisters can still serve very effectively. Nonetheless, female players generally regard returning games as a great opportunity to dominate their opponent, and in some matches a large number are won. This does not lessen the importance of winning the games in which your opponent serves, however, as maintaining dominance in these these can provide a huge psychological advantage.

A break point in tennis is a situation where, if the returner wins the next point, they will win the game. The scoring system allows you to have up to three break points in succession. These points are psychologically important, especially in men’s tennis, where points won against the serve are at a premium.

Break points can be harder to win than game points, where the server has an opportunity to win the game.

The Meaning Of Break Points In Tennis

In a standard service game, if a returner reaches a score of ’40’ before the server does so, then by winning the next point they can win the game. This is known as a ‘break’ of serve, and hence the point which, if won by the returner, will result in such a break is known as a ‘break point’.

Single vs Double vs Triple Break Point

If a returner has reached a score of 40, the server could be on 0, 15, 30, 40 or advantage. Any of the first three would mean that the returner had break point, as winning the next point would earn them the game and a break of serve.

If the server has not won a point so far, any of the next three points could earn the returner a break, so this is known as ‘triple’ break point.

If the server is on 15, the returner has earned two opportunities to break, known as ‘double’ break point.

On the other hand, if the server has won two points, to reach 30, the returner must win the next point in order to break serve, or else the score will become deuce and they will need to earn another chance.

This is, naturally, known as a ‘single’ break point. A similar situation arises if the returner wins the ‘deuce’ point and moves to ‘advantage’.

Why Are Break Points Important In Tennis?

Tennis players are taught that the games when they are serving offer the best opportunity to increase their score in a set, and the statistics certainly bear this out. On the ATP Tour, the best servers, such as Ivo Karlovic and John Isner, win more than 90% of their service games on average, a figure which undoubtedly increases on faster court surfaces.

Even fairly modest servers tend to win over 70% of their service games. It is therefore clear that winning one of your opponent’s service games offers a substantial psychological and tactical advantage. Against the better servers, a returner will not earn many break points, so when they do get one both players will regard the point as crucial.

On the WTA Tour, the dominance of the serve is lower, but every woman in the top 20 of the rankings wins over 51% of their service games, with Ashleigh Barty managing an impressive 80%. Thus, breaking serve will still have a psychological impact, albeit a smaller one than in the men’s game.

Some of the bigger hitters try to adopt as intimidating a posture as possible when returning in order to establish their dominance, and this is certainly something Serena Williams has practiced over the years. Serena often stands well inside the baseline to indicate her contempt for the quality of the second serve which is about to be delivered.

Break Point vs Game Point

If a server reaches 40 before the returner, or earns an ‘advantage’ following a deuce, this is known as ‘game point’. By winning the next point, they can win the game. Some service games can become very long, as it is possible for the score to oscillate between deuce and advantage to the server or returner for an unlimited amount of time.

These games will inevitably see a succession of break points and game points, and the time they take increases the psychological significance of winning them. Breaking serve is always important, but holding serve after saving several break points can also offer a substantial boost.

Final Thoughts

Break points are perceived by tennis players as some of the most critical points in a match, primarily due to their relative rarity in a game where the serve is often a major weapon. When you earn a break point, staying calm and positive will give you the best chance of earning a vital psychological advantage.