Wrong Server or Wrong Receiver
Also known as: wrong server in pickleball, wrong person served, wrong receiver in pickleball, served from the wrong side, wrong player returned the serve, serving out of order in pickleball, player out of position in pickleball
If the wrong player serves, or a server or receiver is in the wrong spot, any player may stop the rally to point it out. A correct claim means the rally is replayed. If nobody notices until the rally is over, the result stands. If you stop play and you are wrong, it is a fault against you.
Positions follow the score. In singles, the server serves from the right when their score is zero or even and from the left when it is odd. In doubles, each team's starting server belongs on the right when the team score is zero or even, and on the left when it is odd. Before the serve, any player may ask an opponent who the correct server or receiver is, or whether players are in the right spots. The opponent must answer.
Once the ball is in play, any player may stop the rally to claim a wrong server, wrong receiver or wrong position. If the claim is correct, the rally is replayed. If it is wrong, the player who stopped play commits a fault. If no one notices until the rally ends, the result of that rally stands.
A wrong receiver is handled differently. Suppose the server and receiver were both in their correct spots when the score was called. If the receiver's partner returns the serve instead, that is a fault against the player who returned it, even if the rally was played out. The fault must be called before the next serve. Score mix-ups follow a similar pattern but have their own rules, covered under calling the score.
Tips by skill level
Unsure who serves or receives? Ask before the serve. Your opponents must tell you, and it costs nothing.
When stacking, track each player's correct side for even and odd scores, so you can answer position questions quickly and catch the other team's errors.
Example
After a side out, the wrong partner serves and the ball is returned. The receiver's partner stops play and says "wrong server." The serving team checks the score and agrees. As a result, the rally is replayed with the correct server.
Why it matters
Serving-order mix-ups are easy to make in doubles. Knowing when it is a replay, a fault or no change keeps you from losing a point by stopping play at the wrong time.
Common mistakes
- Stopping a rally to claim a wrong server without checking the score first
- Arguing about positions after the rally is over, when the result stands
- Not asking before the serve when you are unsure who should serve
- Returning a serve meant for your partner, which is a fault
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the wrong person serves in pickleball?
If someone stops the rally and correctly points it out, the rally is replayed. If no one notices until the rally ends, the result stands.
What if the wrong player returns the serve in pickleball?
If the server and receiver were set up correctly when the score was called, the player who wrongly returned it commits a fault. The fault must be called before the next serve.
Can I ask my opponent who is supposed to serve?
Yes. Before the serve, you may ask who the correct server or receiver is, or whether players are in the right spots, and the opponent must answer.
What if I stop play for a wrong server and I'm wrong?
It is a fault against you. Check the score before you stop a rally.
Sources
Related terms
- Serve Rotation (Doubles)In doubles, a side keeps possession while each player takes a turn delivering, switching courts after every point won. This continues until both have faulted and possession passes to the opponents.
- Server Number (1 or 2)The server number identifies which of the two partners on a doubles team is currently serving. It is called out as the third number in the score: "4-3-2" means the team's second server is serving.
- Calling the ScoreIn doubles, call three numbers before you serve: your team's score, the opponents' score, then your server number, 1 or 2. Each game starts at 0-0-2. In singles, and in rally scoring, call two numbers: the server's score, then the receiver's.
- StackingStacking is a doubles strategy where both players line up on the same side before the serve or return. Once the ball is in play, they slide to their preferred sides, overriding the score-dictated positions so each player plays from their preferred side.
- Side OutA side out is the moment the serve passes from one team to the other. Under side-out scoring, it happens when the serving team has no server left in its rotation who has not yet faulted.
- Hinder (Pickleball)A hinder is something outside the players' control that gets in the way of a rally, such as a ball rolling onto your court, a flying insect or a player from the next court. Any player may call it, play stops, and the rally is replayed. Fences, posts and other permanent objects are not hinders.
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