When does gameswomanship go over the line?

Many people have complained about Maria Sharapova's unauthorized bathroom breaks, which always seem to occur when she is losing (in all fairness, her anxiety could actually cause the need for a bathroom break). But taking bathroom breaks is nothing compared to the stunt that Daniela Hantuchova has been pulling during the Pacific Life tournament in Indian Wells, California.

It is an unwritten law in tennis that people play at the server's pleasure. The server dictates the speed, no matter how slow, a la Mary Pierce, or how fast--for example, Steffi Graf and Jelena Jankovic (whose speedy service game has won her the nickname "JJ Express").

Pierce has a long-time habit of going beyond the 25-second time allowed for service preparation, yet few umpires have called her on it (though one chose championship point of the French Open to do so). What Hantuchova has going on, though, is something else again. She is turning her back on her opponent, in an elaborate ritual, before her opponent's serve. This is way out of line because it takes away the server's implicit authority to dictate the serve. The chair umpire should be telling her to stop, but this isn't happening. Her opponents have the right to ask that she be told to stop, but so far, they have not done so. This could be because it does not bother them, but it could also be because America's cultural climate--nowhere more on parade than in sports--dictates that complaining that someone is breaking a rule is somehow wimpy.

Hantuchova has come a long way. Once number 5 in the world, she has won only one singles tournament (she is a doubles expert, with a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles)--the 2000 Pacific Life Open--in her career. Family problems caused her to disintegrate, and only recently has she shown she can control her emotions on the court. She is a very gifted player and a good athlete, despite her relative slowness on the court. I want to cheer for her comeback. But her current court behavior motivates me to do just the opposite.

What I want is for her next opponent to serve to her back, and let the chair umpire deal with it.