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My tennis partner says correcting her out call was disloyal. What should I say before our next match?

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At 5–5, my doubles partner called a rally ball out. I saw it catch the line and said, "I had that in." We conceded the point. Afterwards she told me, "You could have talked to me quietly instead of embarrassing me."

This was a USTA league match without an official on our court. The [USTA's explanation of partners disagreeing on a call](https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tips-and-instruction/national/the-ad-inbox-mailbag--get-answers-to-your-tennis-questions.html) says the ball is good when one partner calls it out and the other calls it good. I don't want to leave a call I believe is wrong simply because it's an important point.

I also said it sharply. She'd already been struggling, and I can see why it sounded like I was correcting her as a person. We have another match together next week.

What would help us agree on how to handle a disagreement promptly, while keeping the call accurate and giving neither partner a reason to stay silent?

Discussion

2 community replies

There's room to apologise for sounding sharp while standing by what you saw: "I should have spoken calmly. I did see it in, and I won't leave that unspoken." The [USTA answer](https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tips-and-instruction/national/the-ad-inbox-mailbag--get-answers-to-your-tennis-questions.html) supports treating that disagreement as a good ball. Your tone and the line call are separate things to discuss.

She may have heard your sentence as an accusation that she'd tried to cheat. You haven't said you believe that. Tell her you assume she called what she saw, and that different views can happen. That reassurance is more useful than opening with a lecture about sportsmanship.

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