Ejections for willful damage to property

2026 Rule

22.L Ejection or Expulsion. Any time a player is at the tournament venue, the Tournament Director is authorized to eject a player from the tournament or expel a player from the venue for:

22.L.5 Other Behavior. Other flagrant, injurious, or egregious behavior that the Tournament Director deems detrimental to the tournament.

2025 Rules

"Do not add the proposed 13.M.5. Amend current 13.M.2 as follows:
13.M.2. Damage to the venue or injury to a player, official, or spectator through an act of paddle or ball abuse, or other acts of physical violence."

13.M. Ejections and Expulsions. The Tournament Director may eject a player from the tournament for flagrant and particularly injurious behavior that, in the opinion of the Tournament Director, impacts the success of the tournament. An ejection can occur due to actions any time the player is at the tournament venue and may include, but is not limited to:
13.M.1. Using ethnic, religious, racial, sexist, or homophobic slurs.
13.M.2.Injury to a player, official, or spectator through an act of paddle or ball abuse.
13.M.3.Spitting or coughing on a person.
13.M.4.Not exhibiting “best effort.” This includes but is not limited to, defaulting, forfeiting, or not giving best efforts in matches, whether for their own benefit or otherwise.
13.M.5.Damage to the venue due to willful intent, violent outbursts, and / or loss of temper.
Note: In addition to an ejection, the Tournament Director also has the option to expel the player from the tournament venue.

13.M. Ejections and Expulsions. The Tournament Director may eject a player from the tournament for flagrant and particularly injurious behavior that, in the opinion of the Tournament Director, impacts the success of the tournament. An ejection can occur due to actions any time the player is at the tournament venue and may include, but is not limited to:
13.M.1. Using ethnic, religious, racial, sexist, or homophobic slurs.
13.M.2.Injury to a player, official, or spectator through an act of paddle or ball abuse.
13.M.3.Spitting or coughing on a person.
13.M.4.Not exhibiting “best effort.” This includes but is not limited to, defaulting, forfeiting, or not giving best efforts in matches, whether for their own benefit or otherwise.
Note: In addition to an ejection, the Tournament Director also has the option to expel the player from the tournament venue.

Add physical damage to the venue as a reason a tournament director may eject a player from a tournament or venue.

Damage to the venue comes out of the owner's pocket.  In the case of privately-owned facilities, a tournament director can impose a match forfeit for failure to comply with the host facility's rules -- but only if the host facility thinks far enough in advance to post such a rule.  City parks often do not have such rules posted.

Tournament directors should be empowered in the rulebook to help protect the host venue from damage.

I directed a tournament last month at a new indoor facility where a player lost his temper, smashed his paddle against the court after making a bad shot, and chipped a very expensive, top-of-the-line, almost-brand-new court surface.  The venue owner was not pleased.

Another venue where I coach has had to post signs telling players to not hit the wall with their paddles.

Accidents do happen.  I once accidentally crashed through the drywall at a venue after running back to get a lob.  (I made the shot and won the rally, by the way.)  That's not what this is about.  This rule change should be limited to intentional damage and losing one's temper: ball abuse, paddle abuse, punching the wall, etc.