Well, first of all, the receivers partner is allowed to stand wherever they want on their side of the court, including between the server and receiver, so any change to a nasty nelson 'ruling' would have to consider that possibility. Additionaly, body shots are a part of the game, and there is no such similar replay rule. Sure its a nasty thing for a player to try, but its a lot more nasty when you are hit by a ball that only has to travel 14 feet, as opposed to, ah, 29 feet.

With the "Nasty Nelson" becoming increasingly popular in the game, its use as a strategy leans toward unsportsmanlike conduct by those who decide to use it to win a point, especially since power and speed have increased and it is nearly impossible to avoid being hit by a 60 mph serve coming from 27 feet away. The fact that the returner's partner can stand anywhere on the court is somewhat moot as the nasty serve can be delivered to any location the server chooses with essentially the same result in the hit. Should the receiver's partner then stand at the service line with the receiver to avoid this? Then there is no balance of power between the serving team and the receiving team as there exists with the present traditional positioning when the serve is hit. Changing this positional strategy would significantly alter the integrity of the game as we know it, and as we are are trying to preserve its fairness through good sportsmanship. If the decision is made to keep the "Nasty Nelson" as part of the game, its use should at least be prohibited on match point, which is especially egregious and unsportsmanlike.

The Nasty Nelson is a unique feature of the game and removing it violates a guiding principle. If a player is wild enough to try and win a game or match using a Nasty Nelson, that should be a Technical Foul. That would be the end of that unsportsmanship.

There is absolutely no reason for this rule change. Being contacted by a live ball is part of the game and there are plenty of meta-game strategies that can be adopted to counter the nasty nelson strategy. For example, the non-receiving partner can stand anywhere they want on their team's end of the court. Standing at the nvz line directly across from the server is convention and not dictated by any rules. If a player finds themselves being targeted by the server, they can make adjustments to where they stand on the court at serve. They could stand at the baseline or well off the court...either method makes it much harder for the server to target them with a 'nasty nelson' and still allows them ample time to gain the advantageous position of being at the nvz line after return of serve.

If a player is paying attention, they should welcome the NN attempt since all that is needed to do is get out of the way and their team has won the rally.