by Roger Moore

Created on: May 07, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2009

If you ask John McEnroe or Illie Nastase, they might compare a tennis Chair Umpire to a small-town sheriff and Linesmen to his or her faithful set of deputies.

As in any relationship, Chair Umpire versus Line Umpire doesn't always click.

At most levels of tennis leading up to the professional ranks, letting your opponent know when or if the tennis ball lands outside the line during a particular point depends on honesty. As one might imagine, not everybody is as honest as we would all like. And in the heat of battle, perhaps the wishful thinking of a forehand passing shot down the line landing outside the line, a call of out may be made when both players have a feeling that it may have in fact been in.

Sometimes, in high-level Junior tournaments, the finals will include officials. At college events, there is often an Umpire for each match with a few roving linesmen to keep an eye on six courts. If there is more than one dispute, sometimes more attention will be paid to that court as opposed to others.

At the highest levels of tennis, the court is watched closely by a set of officials during a match.

The Chair Umpire is the king, sitting upon a throne which overlooks the court. He or she runs the watch at its most basic level, including scorekeeper and judge and jury over disputes.

The Line Umpires include as many as eight or as few as two. Located at both baselines, both service lines, the middle line in the service box, and the sidelines at both ends of the court, the linesmen are responsible for calling their respective line.

The Chair Umpire has the ability to over-rule the linesman's call when he or she deems it necessary. This, of course, often causes some sort of reaction from players both positive and negative.

With tennis being played on various surfaces, sometimes a tennis ball will leave a mark on the court. For instance, the French Open every summer in Paris is played on a clay surface. If a linesmen makes a questionable call, it is the Chair Umpire and not the linesman making the call that will check the mark, sometimes forcing an over-rule or verification of the correct call.

When mistakes are made, it's the Chair Umpire who receives, in various foreign languages, the brunt of players disputes.

Although tennis, at its highest levels, has always been played with officials, technology is being used more and more. Cameras placed along all lines in play during a match can give an immediate view of in or out.

Major championship tennis French, Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Opens allow players on the showcase courts to challenge calls by looking at the pictures immediately after a point or a questionable call has been made.

However, in major professional tournaments where perhaps 10 to 12 courts are being used, not all of them have the technology available. An outer court requires the traditional Chair Umpire and his crew of linesmen.

One thing is for sure or at least McEnroe or Nastase will tell you the Chair Umpire runs the show and often the linesmen may or may not need glasses.

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