The bounce must come first
Rule 25 in the 2026 ITF rules permits the specified return when a ball bounces correctly and spins or blows back over the net, subject to the other rules. This differs from reaching across to intercept a ball before it has reached the player’s side.
A heavily spinning ball lands in the correct court and then returns towards its striker’s side without being hit again. To make a return, the opponent may need to reach across. The earlier correct bounce explains the otherwise surprising position of the racket.
Reconstruct the route in three parts
Write incoming flight, correct bounce and reverse flight. A short clip beginning with the reverse flight loses the fact that makes the situation distinctive. The net plane alone cannot explain it.
The allowance does not permit touching the opponent’s court or the net in breach of the other live-play rules. Nor is an ordinary follow-through the same event as the spinning-return situation. The useful viewing distinction is the ball’s journey: a correct bounce occurred before it travelled back across. A camera retaining the bounce and the reach in one continuous shot supplies the clearest evidence.
Questions answered
Is reaching across always forbidden regardless of the ball’s route?
No. The specified bounced-back return is allowed.
Does the allowance erase the other live-play restrictions?
No.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.