Check out the point below from the PPA Showcase this past weekend between Collin Johns—Allyce Jones and Erik Lange—Sarah Ansboury.
Johns loses his footing at the Kitchen line and falls to the ground, as his partner keeps the ball in play. On the next shot, Lange slams the pickleball down to hit Johns, who is laying on the ground after rolling his ankle. What’s the call?
Regardless of whether you think Lange should or should not have hit the pickleball at an opponent in distress, and regardless of whether or not Johns is injured, the call is a fault by Johns. It is a fault if “the ball contacts a player or anything the player is wearing or carrying, except the paddle or the player’s hand(s) in contact with the paddle and below the wrist.” Since the ball hit Johns’ body, Johns committed a fault and lost the rally.
