What is a yellow card in soft tennis?
A · Advanced · Conduct, officials and events · 5 of 6Players may ask the umpire about a call but may not protest it or stop play over it. Protesting or taking banned advice brings a warning, shown as a yellow card. A third warning to the same pair in a match is a red card and disqualification. A pair may appeal to the referee only on how the rules were applied.
How it works
- Asking: players may ask the umpire about a decision.
- Protest: arguing after the explanation, or stopping play over a call, is not allowed.
- Warning: a yellow card for protests or for breaking the advice and entry rules.
- Third warning: a red card; the pair is disqualified and the opponents win.
- Not appearing: a pair called to court that does not appear is disqualified.
- Entry conditions: the referee disqualifies a pair that breaks the event's conditions, after consulting organisers.
- Appeal: to the referee, only on a misreading or misapplication of the rules.
- One appeal: the referee's ruling is final.
- Too late: no appeal after the closing greetings.
- Afterwards: a disqualification counts from the first match of the event, and the place is left empty.
The glossary has the warnings and cards, the no protest, the disqualification, the appeal, the referee and the withdrawal and default.
Tricky cases
Can a pair appeal a line call?
No. Appeals are only for misreading or misapplying the rules, not for judgements of where the ball landed.
A player asks again after the umpire has explained the call. What happens?
It counts as a protest and may bring a warning.
Can a team manager get a yellow card?
Yes, in team events the manager can be warned like a player.
A pair is disqualified in the semi-final. Does the pair they beat come back?
No. In a knockout, players beaten by a disqualified pair are not reinstated.
Why the rule exists
Allowing questions but not protests keeps matches moving while letting players understand calls. Limiting appeals to the rules leaves judgements of fact with the umpires who saw them.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Three warnings, disqualified | ISTF C 41, 42 |
| Team events | Managers can be warned; wrong match order disqualifies | ISTF U 20, 21 |
| Event results | Disqualification counts back to the first match | ISTF O 13 |
From the rule book
International Soft Tennis Federation, Technical Rules (web text, site snapshot of 30 January 2024): Rules for Competitions, articles 40 to 43; Rules for Umpiring, articles 14, 19 to 21; Rules for Operations of Competitions, article 13. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the ISTF Technical Rules, published on the federation's website.