A Day in the Life of an Australian Open Line Umpire !!
Arriving in Melbourne we head straight to our accommodation, check in and walk quickly to the courts. We are excited to get started, and getting our uniforms sorted makes it seem real! We receive a key to our lockers where we find our uniforms (jacket, shirts, pants, socks, shoes, bags, Cool-it and hats) try them on and then head to the umpire’s room for alterations and changes. We are greeted by the friendly faces of the official’s coordinators and fellow line umpires working the uniform desk. It is really happening!
The next morning – a couple of hours before we need to wake we are roused by one roomie’s alarm. We rib her about the necessity for sleep and the body’s need to wake when it’s ready, but secretly we enjoy the opportunity to slowly get ready for the day ahead – ironing our uniforms, chatting about our day ahead and the one past, and catching up on the news of the world whilst eating our breakfast of muesli and fruit, or eggs on toast prepared in our apartment kitchen.
Being on the 12th floor we beat the 2 lifts we’d need to take and walk the 12 flights of stairs to the bottom before walking along the Yarra River to Melbourne Park – often our distinctive uniforms finds us chatting to other umpires, coaches and members of the public along the way!
On arrival at the venue – always with our accreditation pass around our neck, we make our way through security at the gate and thank the tennis gods that we don’t need to wait in line with the spectators!! We put our street wear and bags into our lockers, fill our water bottles and lather on the sunscreen before heading to the umpire’s room to check-in for the day.
If we leave the hotel early enough we volunteer to man the check-in desk – ticking off all the officials alphabetically, putting names to faces and taking the opportunity to talk to people we may not yet have worked with. It usually ends with a small competition between the check-in team to see who’s got through their list first!!
On check-in we receive our day list which tells us what courts we are on, what line/s we’ll be covering, who our squad leader is and who the other team members will be. It’s an exciting part of the day!! “Where are you today?” and “I’m with you today!” “Congratulations!!” and the sound of small talk fill the umpire’s area until squad meetings are called a half hour before we are due to first hit the court. It’s a great opportunity to meet some new people and I love the way our relationships grow during the course of the day (and then during the tournament if we have the opportunity to work together again!)
Although I had worked on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane and most of the show courts in Melbourne, I had never been onto Rod Laver Arena until this year. I had the opportunity to work on the coveted Rod Laver Arena when I was selected to be a line umpire as part of the ‘Kids Tennis Day’ celebrations and had a fantastic time geeing on the crowds, dancing with my fellow officials and in particular some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!! The arena is HUGE and it was full. A great introduction to Centre Court!
When I received my first day sheet which listed Rod Laver Arena as my court I was so excited – and just a little bit nervous. However, once on court it didn’t feel nearly as big as it had during the kids’ day and I settled in to another great day of tennis and line umpiring. I had a very supportive squad who celebrated my successes with me throughout the day. AND when I was given a night shift on Rod Laver Arena I felt surprised, honoured and VERY excited and those same squad members and other line umpires I’d worked with celebrated my achievements.
For those of us not on the first rotation – usually an hour or 45 minutes on court and the same off, it is a good opportunity to walk the long walk to the staff café to avoid the lunch time crowds! With a set amount to spend each day it’s a challenge to get the best value for money – my staples tended to be Sushi, Vietnamese rolls or a trio of salads…. Usually I finish by spending the last couple of dollars on a chocolate bar! If you shop well, you can even get your tea with the money! The Salmon was to die for!!
For those of us on the second rotation it’s a matter of timing and hoping that your relief squad will come early enough to give you the full break – time enough to walk to the café, wait in the long lines and if you are lucky, time enough to eat in that session . Often though there’s not enough time to eat a full meal in that session. Thankfully we had stocked up on fruit and nuts to nibble on during the day.
Once our session time nears we keep an eye on the scores on the TV in the umpires lounge, ensuring we leave time enough to get to our assigned court no later than 7 minutes before our changeover time – although I always aim for 10. I choose to walk through the hallways under the main arenas, including the ‘Champions Walk’ rather than brave the crowds.
This is also when you catch glimpses of players walking to or from court, warming up, chatting to their coaches and I always get butterflies in my stomach when I see a familiar face!! Imagine walking down the hall to the locker room and running into a high leg kick by one of the top four players!! It’s awesome!!! Walking through the halls may also be the only way to know who won a match you had been on – are they smiling or are they doing the opposite? It’s interesting to watch player’s reactions!
On arrival courtside the team organises their order of entry, and enter either at a change of ends or a set break. The biggest delays occur when a team misses a set break and we then need to wait three games so it’s very important to keep an eye on the score during our breaks. They tell us it’s the first five minutes and the last five minutes where distractions occur so being distracted by a late changeover is an unnecessary distraction.
On court we walk as a team, and sit as a team. I try not to focus on who is playing the match – rather I focus on the balls and the calls however it is always exciting to read the day sheet to see who’s playing on my courts! The first few minutes are the toughest – waiting for that first call! Another line umpire assures us it is best to hope the ball comes to us– rather than hope it doesn’t – and I think that’s great advice!! I usually make lots of safe signals even on the balls which aren’t very close until I make my first out call – just to stay focused!! Once I’ve made that first call I relax into the match… watching the ball and focusing on my line when it’s coming close – never staring at the line during a point, and never tracking. I personally hold a little bit of my pants material so that I can’t flag a call – that is when your hands move before you make your call…
It certainly helps you feel more comfortable when the chair umpire communicates with you during the match! Especially on close balls or if a player questions a call and a supportive squad leader and friendly team makes the day!
Hawkeye is our friend! It’s there to support our calls but it’s a scary time when a player challenges your call. Even if you truly believe you made the right call your tummy jumps while you wait for the verdict! Thankfully most of the time Hawkeye supports my calls – and that’s an awesome feeling! But when you get it wrong you just hope it was close! A feeling of relief washes over you when you see just how close you were.
People ask me why I do this and I tell them it is fun! I love being a part of such a massive event, and team of officials. 22,000 people apply to work at the open, with only 4,000 getting the gong. We are very privileged to be there!! I’m happy when there’s still more matches to come and secretly relieved when a match goes to 5 sets or an extra match gets moved to our court!! =
For my friends, family and people of the Territory it gives them a buzz to know that they might see a line umpire they know, and it gives them a new perspective of the tennis on TV.
As much as we love what we do it’s tiring work – out in the elements and using muscles we don’t always use. Although there’s a limit to what time the last match can start at night, there’s no limit to the time the day shift can finish – especially with heat or rain delays. One night at this year’s Open the day squad was relieved by the night squad after midnight – after the night squad had already finished all their matches!
When dismissed we make plans for the evening – dinner, sightseeing, or just watching more tennis on the TV back in our rooms. Not knowing when you will finish makes it hard to plan too far ahead so it’s nice when we finish close to the time of our roommates and we can make a night of it. This year we went up to the Eureka Tower and out onto the sky deck, enjoyed some entertainment along the banks of the Yarra, took a ride on a horse and cart and played the pianos placed around the city. Melbourne is the place to be in January!
The umpire’s locker room doubles as a cool place to lay and a quiet place to relax during sessions. I also take the opportunity to ask chair umpires some questions about their calls to help me in my quest to be a better chair umpire. In the Umpire’s lounge, waiting around becomes an art form especially when you have heat or rain delays or you are in limbo between dismissal for the day and a move to your court. I sit back and watch tennis on the TV, or follow the live feed scores, check my Facebook, play cards and eat… but mostly I take the time to catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances. The sound of laughter is never far away and it’s great to be a part of the blue team that is the Australian Open 2014 team of Officials.
Written by Leanne Usher
Latest
Similar
NT