What Happens If You Touch the Net in Tennis? It Depends on When

When is the ball "in play"?

Rule 11 says the ball is in play from the moment the server hits it and stays in play until the point is decided, unless a fault or let is called. So the key question is always: had the point already ended when you touched the net?

Situation	Ruling	Source
Your follow-through hits the net before your winner bounces twice	You lose the point	Rule 24g
You touch the net after the ball has bounced twice on the other side	No penalty, point already decided	Rules 11 and 24b
Server's racket slips and hits the net before the first serve lands	Server loses the point	Rule 24, Case 1
Server's racket hits the net after the first serve has landed out	Just a service fault; the ball was no longer in play	Rule 24, Case 2
Doubles: receiver's partner touches the net before the serve lands out	Receiving team loses the point	Rule 24, Case 3
Your hat or anything you carry touches the net during the point	You lose the point	Rule 24g
You touch the pipe support at the bottom of the net	You lose the point; the pipe counts as part of the net	USTA Comment 24.2
You jump over the net into your opponent's court during the point	You lose the point	Rule 24, Case 5

The serve: a common trap

Cases 1 and 2 under Rule 24 show how timing changes everything. If a server's racket flies out of their hand and hits the net before the serve lands, the server loses the whole point, not just the serve. If it hits the net after the serve has already landed outside the service box, the ball was no longer in play, so it is only a service fault (ITF).

The same logic catches doubles teams. In Case 3, the receiver's partner brushed the net before a serve landed out, and the receiving team lost the point, because the ball was still in play when the net was touched.

Reaching over and crossing the net

Crossing the net is different from touching it:

• Crossing the imaginary line beyond the net post is fine before or after hitting the ball, as long as you don't touch your opponent's court (Rule 24, Case 4).
• Hitting the ball before it has crossed the net loses the point (Rule 24h), so you can't reach over to volley early.
• The exception: if the ball bounces on your side and spins or blows back over the net, you may reach over and play it, provided you don't touch the net or the other court (Rule 25b).

Volleying is otherwise legal during a rally; our guide to hitting the ball before it bounces in tennis covers the other volley rules.

What about the ball touching the net?

That is a separate question. During a rally, a ball that touches the net, posts, cord, strap or band and still lands in the correct court is a good return (Rule 25a). On a serve, a ball that touches the net and lands in the correct service box is a let and is replayed (Rule 22a).

Who calls it?

In matches with an umpire, the umpire rules on net touches. In unofficiated play, The Code in Friend at Court 2026 (item 19) says a player must concede the point when they or their racket touch the net or the opponent's court while the ball is in play, and that the opponent is not entitled to make that call.