Let

A let is the call that cancels a point in progress and has it replayed. The common one is the service let: a serve that touches the net, strap or band and is otherwise good is neither a fault nor in play; the server simply serves that ball again. A let on a first serve leaves the server with two serves; a let on a second serve leaves one, because a service let does not cancel the earlier fault. A let can also be called for a disturbance, such as a ball rolling onto the court from the next one, in which case the whole point is replayed from a first serve.

When you see it

The chair umpire announces "let, first serve" or "let, second serve" and play restarts without fuss. There is no limit: a server can hit several lets in a row. A ball that clips the net during a rally, rather than on the serve, is not a let; play continues, however lucky the bounce. A serve that touches the net and drops in is therefore never an ace, and a serve that touches the net and lands out is a fault like any other, on the way to a possible double fault.

Rule basis

Rule 22 of the ITF Rules of Tennis defines the let during a service; Rule 23 states that in all other cases when a let is called, the whole point shall be replayed.