Brian Dimsho is a USTA certified official and the resident official of the Orange County Grand Prix.

by PT

Q: During a recent tournement, an official walked on to the court during our set break and told us to keep the game moving along. We had just finished our 2nd tie break set after about an hour and a half of play. We were told not to take any more breaks during the rest of the match, and he waited just outside the gate to assure compliance. We were taking 1-2 minute breaks prior to this, and enjoing a competeitive match. Is the USTA official allowed to tell us not to break for an entire set?

A: The rules allow for a 10 minute rest period between the second and third sets, however the tournament can reduse this period from the ten minutes to only two minutes. Most of the local events only allow the two minutes due to the large volume of matches that must be played during the event. Play must be contineous during the match and you are also only allowed 90 seconds to change sides during a change over, and yes the official can montor play to see that no unecessary delays by either parties are being taken during the match. Brian