TPT Player Rule Book

FIP Rule 1. Call the server’s score first: love, 15, 30, 40, game. At 40–40 use Star Point. The first advantage and second advantage may be earned by either pair. A pair that wins the rally while holding advantage wins the game. If both advantage opportunities are lost, play one deciding Star Point.

No more than five rallies are played after the first deuce. Star Point is not Golden Point at the first deuce, and it is not a one-advantage “Silver Point” system.

The receiving pair chooses the right or left receiving side before the server begins. The receivers must keep their established receiving positions; they cannot exchange sides to select a different receiver. Service order remains unchanged.

FIP Rule 1, Star Point option, requires a receiver of the same sex as the server in a mixed match, without changing the receivers’ established positions. Apply that requirement when both pairs are mixed.

TPT adaptation for universal Opens: where the match is not mixed pair versus mixed pair, the receiving pair chooses either established receiving side without a sex restriction. This covers men’s, women’s and mixed pairs competing together, where a same-sex receiver may be unavailable. Receivers may not exchange their established positions. In mixed pair versus mixed pair matches, apply the FIP same-sex receiving rule above.

FIP Rules 4, 6 and 8. Use a coin toss: the winner chooses serve/receive, chooses ends, or asks the opponents to choose. The other pair takes the remaining choice. Declare each pair’s first server and receiving order before play. Partners alternate service games; the opposing pair serves the intervening games. Receiving positions remain fixed for the set or the TPT single match block.

FIP Rule 5. Change ends after the first, third and subsequent odd-numbered games. In a tie-break change ends after every six points. Correct a missed change immediately; completed points stand and a preceding first-service fault remains.

The event bulletin specifies the slot length and names the official controlling the clock. The three-minute warm-up is included in the slot; the match clock begins when the official ends the warm-up and calls play, and ends at the scheduled slot finish. Both pairs must be ready for the warm-up at the slot start. Medical or safety stoppages pause the match clock only on an official’s instruction. The official records any revised finish time. An official announces the end of time consistently across affected courts. Organisers must reserve a buffer for knockout tie-breaks.

TPT adaptation. At the time signal, finish the rally already in progress. If a service point has begun with a first-service fault, allow its second serve and complete that point. Do not start another ordinary point. Only completed games count; an unfinished game is discarded unless the rally just finished completes it. If the prescribed game limit was reached earlier, the match has already ended.

In a pool match, compare completed games: the leading pair wins; equal completed games produce a draw. In a knockout, the pair leading on completed games wins. If games are equal, play a seven-point tie-break, win by two, using the established service order. The bulletin must reserve time for it; a fixed slot does not guarantee a fixed finish.

FIP Rule 1. The next server in order serves the first point from the right. The opposing next server serves points two and three, first from the left. Continue alternating two serves per player in the established order, alternating sides. Change ends every six points. Star Point does not apply in the tie-break.

Safety stoppages take priority. Resume from the recorded score and service order unless the Tournament Director applies the published interruption policy. A retirement awards the match to the opponents. Record actual score, time and reason; mark RET or WO. Apply section 8 and the published ranking schedule; do not invent a completed-game score.

FIP Rule 6. Stand behind the service line, between the imaginary extension of the centre line and the side wall. Bounce the ball in the service area on your side, then strike it at or below waist height. Keep at least one foot on the ground; do not touch the service line or the imaginary centre-line extension with your feet before striking. Do not walk, run or jump while serving; slight foot movements that do not affect the adopted position are permitted.

Serve diagonally into the opposite service box; lines count as in. Start each game from the right and alternate sides for ordinary points. You have two attempts. Wait until the receiver is ready; a receiver who attempts the return cannot then claim unreadiness. [FIP Rules 6–8]

FIP Rule 7. A serve is a fault if the serving requirements are broken; the server misses the ball; it lands outside the correct box; it hits the server, their partner or something either wears/carries; or it strikes a wall, fence or other prohibited object before the required bounce. A correct service-box bounce followed by contact with the metallic fence before the second bounce is a fault. A correct bounce followed by glass is valid.

A serve landing correctly then exiting directly through a gate is a fault where authorised out-of-court play and its required safety area are unavailable. Do not treat every ball leaving the court as a valid serve; the specific service rules still apply.

FIP Rule 9. Replay a serve that touches the net or its supporting posts and then lands correctly, provided it does not hit the metallic fence before its second bounce. A serve touching the net/posts and then hitting a player or something worn/carried is also a service let. If the receiver was not ready and did not attempt a return, replay the serve. A let on the first serve restores two serves; a let on the second restores only the second serve.

FIP Rule 8. Let the serve bounce before returning it. Volleying a serve loses the point, even outside the service box. Return before the second bounce. Keep the established receiving order. If receivers take the wrong order, continue that order to the end of that game or tie-break, then restore the original order as required by FIP.

FIP Rule 6. Wrong serving side: correct immediately; points already played stand and a preceding first-service fault remains. Wrong server: restore the correct server when discovered; points stand, but a preceding single-service fault is not counted. If the game has finished before discovery, retain the altered service order for the rest of the set or TPT match block. Ask the referee when uncertain.

FIP Rules 10–11. Call immediately when a broken ball, an intruding ball/object or an external interruption affects play. Stop for danger and call the official. A genuine rally let replays the whole point with two serves, even after an earlier first-service fault. Playing on normally forfeits a later let claim.

Deliberate interference loses the point. First involuntary interference is a let; a second involuntary interference by that pair loses the point. Normal movement and lawful play are not automatically interference. The official determines whether the act hindered the opponents.

A return that bounces in the angle between the opponents’ floor and wall is valid. If uncertain whether floor or wall was contacted first, apply the self-officiating procedure and seek an official rather than inventing a special corner rule. [FIP 14.1(i)]

FIP Rules 13 and 16. Out-of-court play is allowed only on courts with compliant access openings and safety areas, expressly authorised by the Tournament Director before play. A gate being open does not establish permission. Unless permission is announced for that court, play is restricted to inside the court. Venue safety restrictions always apply.

Only when out-of-court play is authorised, the dividing vertical post in the door above 0.92 metres is neutral: any of the four players may touch or hold that part. This exception does not make the net, net posts, other fencing or the opponents’ court neutral. [FIP 13.1(a–b)]

If your return hits a ceiling, light or unrelated object before bouncing correctly on the opponents’ floor, you lose the point. If it first bounces correctly on their floor and then hits such an object, the point is won under the applicable FIP correct-return rules. Court-specific obstructions must be addressed in the briefing. [FIP Rules 13–14]

Do not chase a ball into spectators, adjacent courts or unsafe areas. Stop for an immediate hazard and summon the official. Keep bags, bottles and spare balls outside the playing area. Players must obey venue evacuation and first-aid instructions.

The permissions above do not cancel service faults. In particular, a serve contacting the metallic fence before the second bounce is a fault, and gate-exit services are subject to the safety-area rule in section 3.2. [FIP Rule 7]

FIP 2.14–2.15. One three-minute treatment break per player per treatable condition. Treatment may continue at the next two changes of ends within the permitted changeover time; those are not extra three-minute breaks. A player cannot transfer their treatment entitlement to their partner.

FIP 2.16–2.17. For specified exceptional incidents, including an accident not directly caused by normal play, fainting, allergic reaction, dizziness or respiratory crisis, the referee may grant medical attention up to 15 minutes. For an unusual incident such as an involuntary fall or a ball striking a player that temporarily prevents continuation, the umpire may allow reasonable recovery up to five minutes. Neither provision is an automatic time entitlement or an ordinary tactical break.

Call first aid immediately where needed. The official records the stoppage, score and clock decision; player welfare takes priority. If play cannot safely continue, record retirement or apply the event’s interruption policy.

Wear proper sportswear and suitable court shoes; no swimwear or bare torso. Use a FIP-compliant racket and wear its wrist cord throughout play. If the cord breaks or the racket is dropped during a point, that pair loses the point. TPT supplies match balls; return them after play. [FIP racket specifications, Rule 13 and conduct norms]

Advice is permitted only from an accredited coach during permitted rest periods. No coaching during a rally or an unauthorised interruption. Coaches must comply with officials’ directions and the conduct rules. [FIP conduct norms: Advice & Instructions]

TPT procedure. Call your own side clearly and immediately. Give opponents the benefit of genuine doubt. Agree the score before each serve. If disagreement remains, stop and summon the referee. A replay may be agreed for an honestly unresolved fact, but is not automatic and cannot cancel a clear rule or sanction. The referee controls the restart and clock; players must not suspend the schedule themselves.

No audible/visible obscenity, ball or racket abuse, threats, insults, aggression, deliberate bad calls, deliberate time-wasting or other unsportsmanlike behaviour. Every player must make their best effort to win. The TPT Player Code of Conduct applies throughout the venue; required acknowledgements must be completed before play.

The conduct scale accumulates across both partners, not separately for each player. Record the individual responsible. FIP also provides for accumulation involving the accredited coach where infringements concern instructions. Coaches have their own warning/expulsion scale. The referee must apply the relevant provisions and record the basis of any coach-related sanction.

FIP conduct provision. Keep this scale separate from the ordinary conduct scale. First time violation: warning. Repeat: if the offending player is serving, loss of first serve; if not serving, loss of a point. Subsequent violations: successive point penalties as determined by the referee. Serious repeated delay may attract further penalties, including games or disqualification, under the applicable disciplinary code.

TPT administration. Court marshals report incidents and timing; authorised referees apply rule penalties. The Tournament Director oversees disqualification and event administration. Record player/pair, time, score, incident, rule and sanction. Tell both pairs the new score before play resumes. Officials may seek clarification before the next point; do not reopen completed points simply because a player later dislikes the ruling.

The referee’s on-court ruling governs continuation. A written administrative complaint may be submitted to the Tournament Director within 24 hours of the result being published. The Tournament Director records the decision and notifies affected players. Any further review route must be stated in the event bulletin. A complaint does not itself pause play or reverse a completed result.

TPT League Index determines division eligibility: (current Playtomic rating + highest Playtomic rating + average rating across the last 10 games) ÷ 3. TPT ranking points reflect confirmed Open results. Each player’s best four eligible results count over a rolling 52 weeks. Each partner receives the full points for the pair’s finishing position; points are not added round by round.

The event bulletin must state exact division bands, including inclusive/exclusive endpoints, how both partners’ ratings determine placement, permission to play up, the rating-verification date and the assessment process for missing history or unrated players. Players must provide accurate information and obtain written placement confirmation where their eligibility is unclear. Division names alone do not establish eligibility. An event must not accept entries without publishing these conditions.

TPT adaptation. Where a division has two equal pools, the top two pairs in each pool qualify: A1 plays B2 and B1 plays A2. Pool table points are win 2, draw 1, loss 0. Rank pairs by table points. For a two-pair tie, use head-to-head, then overall game difference, then overall games won, then a supervised draw. For three or more tied pairs, use table points in a mini-table of tied pairs, then mini-table game difference, then mini-table games won, then overall game difference, then overall games won, and finally a supervised draw. If any step leaves exactly two pairs tied, apply their head-to-head before proceeding to the next criterion. Any different pool structure and qualification system must be published in the event bulletin.

A walkover is a match not started because a pair cannot or will not play; retirement follows a started match. Record them separately. A walkover awards the match to the available opponents. In pool play, award two table points for a walkover and zero to the defaulting pair; do not add fictitious games. A walkover does not itself award a separate block of ranking points. Ranking points are awarded for confirmed finishing position under the published event ranking schedule, which must state minimum participation and the consequences of a default, retirement, disqualification or abandoned event.

If a pair withdraws permanently during pool play, remove all its pool results from the standings and do not award table points for its remaining fixtures, so remaining pairs are compared on the same basis. Record the withdrawn matches separately. A single walkover without permanent withdrawal leaves other results intact. Where this produces unequal numbers of counting matches, rank by table points per counting match, then game difference per played match, then games won per played match, then a supervised draw; ignore fictitious walkover games. A pair with no played match must not advance solely by these ratios; the Tournament Director must resolve progression under the event interruption policy and record the reason.

Both pairs confirm the score immediately and submit it to the marshal or event system. Officials verify qualifiers before knockout play and confirm event results before ranking publication. Report score-recording errors immediately and no later than 24 hours after publication. The Tournament Director verifies corrections against the match record and notifies affected players. Finishing points, division categories and any event multiplier must appear in the event bulletin or ranking schedule before entries open.

The event bulletin must publish division eligibility, stage formats, scheduled slots, ranking points, minimum participation and any event-specific variations before entries open. Any later material change must be communicated directly to entrants before play. Completed results must not be retrospectively recalculated under newly introduced rules. This book does not change website content automatically; TPT must publish consistent rules across its player communications.