How to Be a Tennis Umpire

Being a tennis umpire requires a great deal of concentration and a deep knowledge of the rules of the game. Sitting in a seat elevated above the net of a tennis court, umpires, in conjunction with match referees, have the final say on all disciplinary and ruling issues that occur on court. Umpires are in place not only to ensure that rules, line and foot fault calls are made correctly, but also to maintain player discipline on court.

Instructions

    • 1

      Fill out a United States Tennis Association (USTA) membership form (see Resources).

    • 2

      Contact your local sectional point of contact, which is commonly the chairman (see Resources). Ask your local point of contact about training programs scheduled to run in the near future. Attend at least one local training session. Although this is not a prerequisite to becoming an entry-level provisional umpire, you will learn a great deal from attending just one training session.

    • 3

      Visit your physician and ask her to perform an eye test and fill out your USTA visual examination form (see Resources). This test must show that you have 20/20 vision on the Snellen scale, whether through plain sight or with visual aids such as glasses or contact lenses.

    • 4

      Complete the most recent version of the USTA provisional umpire's exam (see Resources). You must successfully complete this test to become an entry-level provisional umpire.

    • 5

      Contact your sectional chairman and ask for your umpire's data card. Fill out the data card and return it to the sectional chairman, who will sign and send it back to you as well as informing the USTA officials department about your qualification. This card lets you start umpiring local club-level competitive matches.

    • 6

      Maintain regular contact with your local USTA point of contact to ask about training sessions you can attend and any tournaments or competitions that require local umpires.

    • 7

      Progress to sectional chair umpire level by officiating five evaluated matches as a provisional umpire. Organize your evaluation with your sectional chairman, who will arrange for a qualified umpire to watch and grade your performance.

    • 8

      Umpire 10 evaluated matches as a sectional chair umpire to reach USTA chair umpire status. Try to impress evaluators by showing them your sound knowledge of the rules of tennis and by adopting a firm but fair umpiring style.

    • 9

      Advance to the national chair umpire standard by officiating 20 specific category matches at Intercollegiate National Championships, USTA National Championships, ITF National and International Championships, or any professional tournament with prize money of at least $10,000 as of July 2011. Umpire a mix of these category matches. You must umpire at least 12 matches in tournaments with prize money exceeding $50,000, for example, to qualify as a national chair umpire.

    • 10

      Reach the professional chair umpire level by presiding over 30 professional matches in tournaments where the prize money exceeds $50,000. Note that at least 20 of these matches must be ITF, USTA, ATP or WTA tournaments, with a minimum of $150,000 prize money. You must also have been a national chair umpire for a minimum of two years.