Last night I played a doubles match in a local league. I served to my opponent receiver who was ready and he returned it (quite well actually). His partner then interrupted the match and glared at me to tell me she wasn't ready and I caught the shuttle to replay the point. Questions: 1) Was the service a valid serve, and therefore should I technically have lost a point for failing to return a shuttle in play? Similarly, could I have continued to play and hit it at the non-ready partner to score? 2) If the shuttle is in play and an opponent makes any sort of remark that prompts you to catch the shuttle, is there a rule against unsportsmanly conduct? In this case, I feel that it was the receiver's problem for not making sure his partner was ready, but I can understand why I got the glare
9.4 The server shall not serve before the receiver is ready. However, the receiver shall be considered to have been ready if a return of the service is attempted. Trust your feelings.
Only if the receiver is not ready you play a let. It does not refer to the partner who must be ready with the serve. Rule 9.4 does not refer to the partner of the receiver... Technically, if you have an umpire and partner of the receiver (or server) was not ready - it is not considered a good reason to stop the play. If a side stops, it's their problem. So yes, the serve was a valid one. In your case I am not sure if you were distracted by the opponent, it doesn't look like it. If they said something to you than yes, but "glare" does not count. However I would say it is a good sportsmanship to wait that all the parties are ready, unless they are delaying the game on purpose .
She interrupted with an audible shout, then put her hands on hips and glared at me (as opposed to her partner). I don't think I'd notice someone glaring at me in peripheral vision
If you saw that the receiver's partner was not ready(e.g. facing the back of the court) and you served, I think that would be poor sportsmanship. By your comment is sounds like you were aware that the partner wasn't ready, and served anyway. That did happen to me when there was a loud family/friend reunion happening, standing 2 feet from the court sideline. I had stepped over to ask them to have there discussion further from the court, preferably in the lounge, I had stepped to the side and had my back to the server and still he served, they hit my partners return of his serve at me. They said the same thing, it was the receiver's problem for not making sure his partner(me) was ready. I let him have the point and just just kept playing. Learned my lesson.
Your partner has to make sure you are ready before he serves or is ready to receive. That way there's never a misunderstanding.
Haha, I'm not that unsportsmanly, though i might have considered doing it after the incident! Unfortunately, I have a worse habit where I focus only on the receiver and shuttle when I serve, and I likely serve too quickly as well. I was completely tunnel visioned until the receiver's partner interrupted the rally. Thanks for the answers - I've clarified the rule a couple of times already in club play and i've noticed people check on their partners before assuming a ready stance now. Such little things help the overall standard of a club, especially during more important matches where suddenly there's strict adherence to rules!
i do not care for the receivers partner if the receiver is ready i serve I even find it funny and serve quickly Fortunately i never received hard feelings because of it. Looks like people here know that the receiver is guilty and not the server. The other way around, i always check if my partner is ready before I get into my return-ready-position.
In generally out of courtesy i check that both players are ready before i serve, sometimes i will see the receiver standing ready and just alert them to the fact that their partner clearly is not ready. But a good in a good partnership you should always check that your partner is ready before you step up anyway. but in this scenario i think its not really the OPs fault. if the receiver is ready he is completely within his rights to serve. the receivers partner should have said to his partner that he wasn't ready when he stepped up to receive serve. And the receiver should have checked that his partner was ready before stepping up to receive anyway. So i think the fault is entirely on the receiving side. Although as i mentioned earlier personally i just let the receiver know that their partner has gone 'walkies'
So I imagine the partner is tying her shoelace or something. Not just walking around on the court where she could get on the match immediately. In that case, I think serving while the receiver's partner is tying her shoelace is quite unsportsmanlike. It's technically the receiver's fault for not checking but the right thing to do here is notify him that his partner is tying her shoelace.
