GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When is a table-tennis rally replayed as a let instead of scored as a point?
A let means the rally’s result is not counted, so play is replayed. One familiar example is a serve that clips the net assembly but is otherwise correct; the Law also covers a service ball obstructed by the receiver or partner. A let can also apply when the receiver was not ready and neither the receiver nor partner tried to hit the ball, when an outside disturbance interfered, or when an umpire stops play. By contrast, an incorrect serve or a failed return normally gives the opponent a point unless a let condition applies. The Laws include other cases too, including special service lets involving a receiver who uses a wheelchair.
For Players and viewers trying to understand why a table-tennis rally was replayed or awarded. · Updated
A let replays the rally without scoring it
A let and a point are different outcomes. With a let, the rally result is not scored and the service or rally is played again. The fact that something unusual happened does not by itself make the rally a let; a listed condition must apply.
For example, if an otherwise correct serve touches the net assembly and still follows the required service pattern, the rally is a let. The same Law also covers a service ball obstructed by the receiver or partner.
Readiness, disturbance and an official’s interruption can also matter
If the receiving player or pair was not ready, a let applies only when neither the receiver nor the receiver’s doubles partner attempts to strike the ball. An outside disturbance that prevents a correct service or return can also lead to a let, as can an interruption by the umpire or assistant umpire.
The Laws add wheelchair-specific service cases. These are reasons to replay a rally, not a general rule that every service variation is a let.
A fault normally awards a point when no let applies
If the server fails to make a correct service, or a player fails to make a correct return, the opponent scores a point unless a let condition governs the rally. A net-touch service that is also otherwise incorrect does not meet the ordinary otherwise-correct let condition unless the service ball is obstructed by the receiver or partner.
These summaries use the ITTF Statutes 2026. Under the Constitution’s Article 55.4 transition, existing instruments apply only so far as they remain compatible and have not been superseded. The competition provisions also allow specified variations, so check the event’s published rules before applying a general explanation to a particular match.
Two hypothetical rallies
In a fictional rally, the server makes an otherwise correct serve that touches the net assembly and then lands on the receiver’s court. That rally is a let and is replayed without a point. In a second fictional rally, the server’s toss fails a service requirement and no let condition applies; the receiver scores a point. These examples do not decide an actual match, and the Laws list additional let conditions beyond the examples here.
Related questions
Does every serve that touches the net get replayed?
No. The net-service let applies when the service is otherwise correct, or when the receiver or partner obstructs the ball under the stated rule. If the serve is incorrect and no let condition applies, the opponent scores a point.
If the receiver says they were not ready, is the rally automatically a let?
No. The not-ready service condition requires that neither the receiver nor the receiver’s partner attempts to strike the ball. Other let conditions, such as an outside disturbance or an official interruption, are separate.