Umpires play an important role in the game of tennis. Umpires undergo intensive training and have to be disciplined and impartial in order to call tennis matches fairly. There, however, have been cases where umpires assist certain players while on the court which is against the rules.
Moscarella encourages Sousa
Recently, an umpire was caught on video advising a player during a match. During an ATP tour match, Italian umpire Gianluca Moscarella was heard talking to a player during a toilet break. Moscarella has a Gold Badge which is the highest level of certification for a chair umpire. The Italian has been an ATP tour umpire since 2010. In the video, he urges the player to concentrate. The official tells the player to play better and finish the match so that they can get out of the sun. He even suggests possible outcomes of the match. The video has been making rounds and no disciplinary action has been taken on the tennis official.
Mohamed Lahyani and Kyrgios
Umpires have been disciplined for breaking impartiality during matches. In 2018, Mohamed Lahyani was suspended from officiating two tennis tournaments. The umpire was punished for talking to Nick Kyrgios during a match at the US Open. He was overheard telling the Australian he wanted to help him during a changeover. At the time, the player was trailing Pierre-Hugues Herbert by a set. Nick improved his play and went on to win the match. The incident drew suspicion but the Australian player said that the official’s comments had not had an effect on his performance. The 53-year-old umpire was banned from officiating at that year’s China Open and Shanghai Masters after an internal review of the incident.
Damian Steiner fired
This year, Argentinian umpire Damian Steiner was fired by the ATP after officiating in the Wimbledon final. The match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic was the longest in Wimbledon history. Djokovic won the match to clinch his 16th Grand Slam title. After the match, Steiner gave some interviews in Argentina, answering some questions about the match. The tennis body fired the official for speaking about the match without authorization. Umpires are prohibited from talking about specific matches, players, other officials, or rules about a match without permission from an ATP supervisor.
