Who Makes the Call?

By Mark Peifer, USA Pickleball Certified Referee; Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee

QUESTION: I was playing doubles in rec play. My opponent blasted a shot past me, and the ball landed out. My opponent said it hit my paddle, yet I know it did not. They proceeded as if they won the point, and we didn’t argue. But it got me thinking: do they even have the right, according to the rules, to make that call? I did not think so but I wasn’t sure where to find that. Usually, in rec play, we’ll re-do a point if there’s a dispute like that, but I’d love to know the actual rule here.

ANSWER: Your instincts are correct. Your opponent does not have the authority to make this call. Only you do. The applicable rule is 13.D.1.d., “For non-officiated matches, if a player believes an opponent has committed any type of fault other than a service or nonvolley zone foot fault as noted in Section 7 – Fault Rules, they may mention the specific fault to the opponent(s), but they have no authority to enforce the fault. The final decision on fault resolution belongs to the player that allegedly committed the fault.” The underlined part of the rule is what you were looking for. Well done to you and your partner, however, for not making a big deal of it and moving on. The next time? Ask your opponents to show you where they think they are given that authority in the Rulebook.