In the world of elite tennis, practice sessions can sometimes be as competitive as actual matches, especially when it comes to calling lines. Without umpires or linespeople present, players are tasked with making their own calls, and this can lead to tensions, particularly when it comes to questionable line calls, or “hooking,” as it’s known in locker rooms. Many players have had experiences with this practice, and opinions on whether it’s intentional or just a mistake vary widely.
Sloane Stephens, for instance, recalls a practice session where her opponent became upset after a call she made on a second serve. Stephens, who prides herself on integrity, had called the serve out, only to later learn that the opponent had thought she had been cheated. While Stephens quickly made amends, the incident highlighted the complexities of calling your own lines in a competitive environment.
Some players, like Frances Tiafoe, are more open about the prevalence of “hooking” in practice sessions. He acknowledges that many players engage in it, often making calls that favor themselves for reasons that are unclear. For Tiafoe, the practice sets are not televised, and the stakes are much lower, so he finds the behavior both puzzling and humorous. However, other players like Emma Raducanu find the situation less amusing. Raducanu admits that she dislikes calling her own lines, as she feels she can’t always see the ball’s true position. She prefers to ask a practice partner to make the calls for her, especially when it’s not clear whether a ball is in or out. She believes that in practice, these details don’t matter as much, but for some players, even the smallest margin is important.
Coco Gauff shares a similar perspective, noting that while some players may not intentionally cheat, they may still have a habit of making questionable calls, perhaps stemming from their younger days in junior tennis. This is a sentiment echoed by Ben Shelton, who has consulted his father to determine whether an opponent was being dishonest during practice. He believes that most players tend to err on the side of giving calls rather than taking them.
Training sessions can sometimes turn into comical scenes, especially when players are too cautious to make a call they’re unsure of. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, for example, recently engaged in a highly competitive practice session, but both players were quick to call any ball close to the line as “in,” possibly to avoid the awkwardness of questioning each other’s calls.
Jack Draper, too, finds it difficult to call his own lines during practice. He often opts to move on from a close call rather than risk an argument, especially since practice sessions are typically less intense than actual matches. He points out that some players take practice sets very seriously, while others are more focused on refining their technique.
The issue of being accused of cheating can linger in a player’s mind. Daniil Medvedev, for example, recalls a practice session with Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon in 2018, where he called a few balls out, only to later learn that Fritz had been upset with the calls. Medvedev was shocked by the accusation, as he doesn’t usually care about winning practice sets, but he laughed it off, recognizing that misunderstandings can happen.
In the world of junior tennis, the lack of referees and officials often leads to even more extreme cases of questionable line calls. Medvedev remembers his own experiences in junior tournaments, where players often made dubious calls, sometimes intentionally and sometimes out of habit. These early experiences, though frustrating, are part of what mentally prepares players for the challenges they’ll face on the professional tour.
How players deal with “hooking” in practice varies. Raducanu prefers to laugh it off, while Gauff tries to avoid practicing with players who are prone to questionable calls to prevent frustration. Tiafoe, on the other hand, isn’t afraid to call out an opponent and even jokingly retaliates with his own questionable calls, showing that in the end, practice is just practice, and the stakes are not as high as in an actual match.
