OK so let me set the scene: I'm playing a game, quite close quite tense, I hit quite a nice drop shot. He responds by hitting the net Just to define: when I say net I mean the part of the net that isn't white. Not the top. He hits the net, and the shuttle, the shuttle hitting the main torso of the net and the top bit and somehow goes over. I pick it up and say the score and the other pair starts having a fit saying that it was their point even though the shuttle hit the torso of the net and it wasn't just a net cord. Is this true? I know I should have got the point anyway from him hitting the net but its just whether or not the shuttle hitting the main torso of the net and still going over is actually allowed.
It's allowed. But if he hit the net before the shuttle landed on the ground, then the point goes to you.
Unfair? Hitting the net is an unfair advantage. Shuttles hit the net in various ways and go over all the time - that's either skill or luck.
It's all about sequence of events and what happened first. The moment shuttle is out of play the rally is over. So... The question is: what happened at the net? How did it go over while falling from high spot and hitting bellow the tape. Did he hit the shuttle through the net? Was shuttle already falling down after hitting the net before your opponent touched the net?
Touching the net with the racket or body is a clear fault per §13.4.1: But there is no rule about the shuttle not being allowed to touch the net, net tape and net body alike. The closest is §15.1 in conjunction with §13.3.2: This is not the case here; the shuttle went upwards after touching the net body on your opponent's side, not downwards. In other words, if your opponent touched the net with their racket, you win the rally immediately. If your opponent did not touch the net, the rally goes on, and you lost it, since you were unable to return the shuttle.
