Begin typing your search...
Ruling the grand slams from baseline
Holder of the silver badge from the ITA, from 1993 to 2016, Revathy has served as an umpire in 22 US Opens, over nine Australian Opens.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
When Sagar Kashyap was umpiring in the quarter finals at Wimbledon last week, back home in Chennai, Revathy Sudhakar felt a sense of satisfaction at having recommended his name to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) years ago. “I first met him in 2000, when I was invited to be Chief Umpire at the Bengaluru edition of the World Doubles Championship.
CG Krishna Bhupathi, Mahesh’s father and the tournament director asked me to train a dozen young boys in umpiring. Kashyap, Santosh Venkatraman and Supreeth Kadavigere were three of the brightest in that group. Later, I recommended them all to the ATP supervisors at the Chennai Open.” Sudhakar, who herself served as an umpire in Wimbledon 2000, is among the few Indian umpires to have officiated in some of the marquee events.
Holder of the silver badge from the ITA, from 1993 to 2016, Revathy has served as an umpire in 22 US Opens, over nine Australian Opens, one Wimbledon, countless Women Tennis Association (WTA) and ATP tournaments in her long career, travelling from one venue to another, rubbing shoulders with generations of top players. “No matter where the match is — centre court or elsewhere —we have to go with the same intensity that is expected of a great line umpire or chair umpire. As Chief Umpire I brought that into training in India,” says Revathy, who played a key role in organising and training the umpires for many tournaments, including the Chennai Open.
From 1994 to 2009, she was on duty on all ATP finals in the US. She was the line umpire in the 1996 Olympics, serving in both the men’s and women’s finals. It was also the year in which she was awarded the prestigious Jack Starr Award during the US Open, one that is bestowed on an umpire for excellence. This is given after evaluation on various parameters, including technical knowledge, professionalism, etc. Only three years earlier, in 1993, she had been roped in for duty at the US Open.
In her 23 years as an umpire, she has made the calls, right up to the finals, on players like Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Juan Martin Del Potro, Robin Soderling, Jimmy Connors and many others. She has had a ringside view of the stars reaching their zenith and their graceful exits-- Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Gabriella Sabatini, Aranxta Sanchez, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lnidsay Davenport among others.
First spotted by ATP when she was conducting a WTA tournament at Amelia Island, Florida, after her on court performance, Sudhakar says she grew quickly because she was able to prove herself on the ground. “If you know the rules, if you are a thorough professional, and you have an unerring eye, you can climb fast in the umpiring world,” she says, brushing aside queries on racism. “If you are professional and know the technicalities of the game, no one can stop you,” she points out. At any given time, a crew of top 15 umpires are in the fray for a tony tournament and Revathy Sudhakar remained in that league till she retired after serving in the 2016 US Open, unable to travel due to family commitments here in Chennai.
The line of work calls for plenty of travel. I would fly to Chennai for the Chennai Open, fly to Sydney where 1,000 players would take part in the 10-day tournament, then head to Melbourne for two weeks of Grand Slam. The season in the US starts in February with a match every week, and goes on till May, after which matches move to Europe, and back to the US for the Grand Slam in July. It’s a busy season until September. So, it calls for a lot of commitment, you have to sacrifice some family time,” says Sudhakar. “You cannot do it unless you love the sport.”
Rules are strict and include staying off alcohol at least 12 hours before a match. Typically, an umpire is on the court for one hour, rested and brought back. “In that one-hour break, you should switch off from the match under way, hydrate yourself and walk around and stay limber. Your mind stays sharp and focused that way,” she says.
Is umpiring a lucrative career? “Well, most parents would want their children to play the sport and get to the top, and as I found out in the World Doubles, it was not easy for young boys to convince their parents why they wanted to get into umpiring. Today, with many Indians umpiring in the international circuit, things have changed a bit,” she says.
One of her unforgettable moments from the circuit? “The nearly five-hour match between Pete Sampras and Alex Corretja. “Sampras was sick at the other end of the court, and I was wondering if he was in a condition to stand. And then he let loose a fabulous ace (second serve) to set up match point. It was a wonderful moment,” she says, reminiscing with a smile.
Some of the toughest players for a line umpire? Oh, Jimmy Connors for one. He was always a tough customer,” she says. “Of course, a few players were known to go off the handle. That is when your professionalism comes into play. Raise your level, be constantly vigilant and alert when it is a difficult match,” she says. A ‘dispute’ that she cherishes the most? “The Federer-del Potro match at Indian Wells.
I had just called Federer’s serve as good, but del Potro felt it was long. They wanted to go to Hawk Eye, but it was not working. Federer leaned over the net and told del Potro, “Come on she has called it good. She is right, let’s go ahead and play.” Del Potro got back into the game. Roger may have trusted me, but what really mattered was the fact that the chair umpire went to the truck in the replay area (this will not show on common screen) and checked the video. After replaying it, the chair umpire came back and said,’ ‘You were right.’ I felt good,” she adds.
What about the women players? How were they? “Navratilova was a perfectionist. She believed in fitness training and I would say that it is because of her that personal trainers began to have a huge influence on women tennis players. In the 1990s very few women focused on that. Today, the picture is very different,” she points out. Who was the coolest? “ Oh, quite a few of them, but Steffi was the coolest… and nicest. She would nod to me when she walked past,” adds Revathy.
Any tough moment? “Well, there was this doubles match (famous players) at the US Open. The grandstand is very difficult since the shadows go through them. I made a call on the baseline and the player came to me and said, “You missed it.” And I said, “What did I miss?” He cooled off and went back to the game,” she recalls with a grin.
Which is tougher, baseline or chair umpiring? “It is all about you and how good you are. I personally prefer to be a baseline umpire. People think you should stare at the baseline. But the technique is to watch the player across the net, watch the ball crossing the net and then pivot your eyes to where you think the ball is going to land. If you simply keep staring at the baseline when the player is playing, the baseline will appear to move. You must perfect this science,” she says.
Do umpires and players fraternise? “Players always recognise umpires on the court, no matter which part of the world you are from. Pete Sampras and Roger Federer would always nod to us. If you have been on the circuit long enough as an umpire and you are good at your job, they notice that,” she responds. What did you all talk about, since players and umpires on tour may run into each other at meal times, I wonder. “Umpires cannot be too friendly with the players. It would be a conflict of interest as far as we are concerned. It’s part of being a professional umpire, our supervisors at the ATP have always been clear about that,” she explains.
What about technology? “There are a lot of changes now. The games are faster. Women players hit as hard as men. The courts are faster too and we umpires have to cope with all that. Technology is everywhere. The Hawk Eye, for example, is there on all ten courts in Indian Wells. Every call you make is there on record. Normally, you make split-second decisions, and technology pushes you to be better and prove that you are good. The human eye is not as accurate as a camera, but we are very, very close,” says Sudhakar. “Night matches are also tough because of the light... remember the players are hitting the ball at 120 miles an hour. It’s difficult enough during the daytime.”
Umpiring: Things That Matter
- Your stance
- Your appearance
- Your voice-it should be measured and calm, because players can be emotional and the correct tone is important. If you squeak, the player will think you are not confident of yourself
- Your body language
- Players recognize umpires, no matter which part of the world you are from
- If you make a wrong call, put it behind you and focus on the game
- If you make it to the chief umpire, your work does not begin and end on the court. You have to assess and recommend new umpires. You have to get the players list and create a pool of correct umpire crew for a tournament. For example, you cannot have aSwiss officiating in a Federer match
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
