Gamesmanship or Not?
There’s been a bit of a debate about whether it was gamesmanship or acceptable tactics for Agnieszka Radwanska to stand in so close on Maria Sharapova’s second serve in their U.S. Open match. Clearly, some players would not feel comfortable doing that sort of thing, but it’s perfectly “legal.” In fact, it shouldn’t bother the server and if it has no effect, then a player would stop challenging the second serve. In a way, it’s like hitting drop shots against an opponent who is
cramping… it feels uncomfortable to do, but if you are playing to win, then it’s an acceptable tactic. Trying to pressure a player by standing close on a second serve may seem much more like “gamesmanship” in certain ways, but there’s a difference between standing in close or moving over to slam a forehand return versus dancing around while a player is about to serve and actively trying to distract (versus challenge) a server - this is not OK. In doubles, some players stand very close to the center line to try to discourage the server from serving close to the line. This could also be considered gamesmanship in a way, but if it has no effect on the server than most likely it won’t continue either.
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