Penalties Before Match Starts

2026 Rule:

22.A Referee Authorization. The referee is authorized to assess verbal warnings and penalties to a singles player or doubles team any time during a match while the players are in the vicinity of the court, including before the match starts.

13.G.3.e. Verbal warnings, technical warnings and technical fouls may be assessed any time the players are at the courtin the vicinity of the court, including before the match starts. This includes during warm-up time.  Play shall not be stopped to assess a warning or foul. The assessment of the warning or foul shall be applied after the rally has ended

13.G.4. Behavior raising to the level of a warning or foul after the match is over while a player is still on courtin the vicinity of the court shall be brought to the attention of the Tournament Director. Based on this information, the Tournament Director may impose a Verbal Warning, Technical Warning, or Technical Foul that will be applied to the offending player’s next match at the tournament. .

13.G.3.e. Verbal warnings, technical warnings and technical fouls may be assessed any time the players are at the court.  This includes during warm-up time. Play shall not be stopped to assess a warning or foul. The assessment of the warning or foul shall be applied after the rally has ended.

13.G.4. Behavior raising to the level of a warning or foul after the match is over while a player is still on court shall be brought to the attention of the Tournament Director. Based on this information, the Tournament Director may impose a Verbal Warning, Technical Warning, or Technical Foul that will be applied to the offending player’s next match at the tournament.

Including only during warm-up time is too narrow. The proposed change replaces "including during warm-up time" with " including before the match starts" which is the more complete timeframe intended by this rule. Technically, the current rule does not include the time before warm-up begins or after warm-up has ended.

'on court' was changed to 'in the vicinity of the court' to be clear that it includes the court, the playing surface, and the adjacent areas around the playing surface.

13.G.4 was changed to be consistent with 13.G.3.e

A players misbehaves during the pre-match briefing, or any other time before that when the players have not started warming up, or any other time after warm-up has ended.