Can I Tell My Opponent To Shut Up?
I am playing in a League in my city. There is woman that I played against. She is very talkative.
After every point she has to a joke or comment about my shots. I found that it is very difficult for me to concentrate.
Is there a rule in Tennis that the opponents have to be silence during matches or can I just tell her to shut-up?
Hi, I did a quick check in the Code of Tennis and didn’t find the exact answer to your question. The code of course says that you shouldn’t speak while the ball is in play.
I have been once in this situation too, except my opponent started to talk and chat as soon as we sat down in the changeover. We had only one bench so we sat close together.
I tried to be nice for a few changeovers but then I realized that I don’t like it. I prefer to empty my mind and get ready for the next game.
So I told him that I prefer to sit quietly in the changeover. He got the message and shut up. 
But the most important thing here is how you communicate with the other person. It’s not a good idea to tell people what to do. Their ego will come up and they’ll fight you or annoy you even more.
You can’t control them and there is no law against talking.
What you can do is communicate how YOU feel and what YOU like.
Something like: “Hey Jane… I prefer to empty my mind and analyze my mistakes in the changeover. I need some silent time. I hope you understand.”
Try it and let me know how it worked.
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