Tennis Officials

[ImLostAgain]

How many officials are there on court in a professional game?
After watching Wimbledon I was chatting to an old fellow who used to play the game and he says there are nine. I can't get my head around this. Surely there is the umpire, three line umpires at each end,service line judge at each end and two base line judges? That would make eleven, unless some of them are multi- tasking!

[Stephen_G]

I don't watch Tennis, but, do they still have the Net Cord Judge? That would make 12.

I would agree with 11, unless he meant 9 is the minimum number. Sometimes you only have 2 Line Judges and they move from the middle service line to the outside service line and back again.

[Milvus]

I think there are only seven at Wimbledon, The service and base line judges are replaced by automatic sensing

[Stephen_G]

What Milvus said (Just popped the Tennis on through the PC and there are no other Officials on the Court other than the people behind the Players and the Umpire in the Chair. No Net Cord Judge either.

[ImLostAgain]

Stephen_G, no they don't have a net court judge anymore, it's done by a sensor.
Milvus, are you sure? I think (off the top of my head) that I still heard them shouting 'out' on the serves and overhit shots. But I stand to be corrected.

[bhg481]

There are officials watching the baseline but they are so far off the side of the court and sitting in chairs that they are difficult to see. One of them is almost sitting in the audience. Perhaps the one watching the receiver's end moves to watch the "T" line for the serve and then moves to the baseline. That would give at each end three for the side and centre lines and one for the base/T line = 8 plus the umpire.

[ImLostAgain]

Ah that would make sense bhg481. So it would seem the old fella was correct.

[Milvus]

I think I'm wrong with seven, I've just caught a glimpse of more rather like BHG's answer

[bhg481]

I'm now looking at the Berdych/Simon match on one of the smaller courts and you can see a pair of light trousers (officials' uniform) just behind the chair umpire. He's sitting in a chair at the base line but right up against the audience.

[ImLostAgain]

Yes I'm having a look at that match too. As I write I can see two officials!! If so there would be two more at the other players end. So that would be eleven again. This is getting complicated!!!

[Buenchico]

Wikipedia states: "At the highest levels of the sport, a team of up to eleven officials may be on court at any given time".

The source of that information is given as this document from the International Tennis Federation:
http://www.itftennis.com/media/107082/107082.pdf

Section L, on page 22, thereof includes this: "If a Chair Umpire has a full complement of ten (10) Line Umpires, then the assignments/responsibilities shall be as shown above", which confirms that the maximum number of umpires at a match under ITF rules can be 10.

However it should be noted that:
(a) the list of all 10 umpires includes those whose duties who are largely (if not wholly) taken over by electronic equipment at Wimbledon ; and
(b) the ITF rules allow for the use of only 5, 6 or 7 line umpires. (See Appendix D, on pages 34 to 36 for plans of their positions).

Further, ATP World Tour tournaments also have their own rules which state: "Unless otherwise approved by ATP, the following are required: A minimum of seven(7) line umpires must be provided per main draw match. A minimum of five (5) line umpires per qualifying match must be provided."
http://www.atpworldtour.com/~/media/files/rulebook/2015/2015_atp_rulebook_chapter_v.pdf

So the rules (of both the ITF and ATP) are met at Wimbledon if the chair umpire is assisted by 7 line umpires (making umpires 8 in all) but the same rules also permit the use of 10 line umpires (making 11 umpires in all).

Er, any clearer now?

[ImLostAgain]

Oh yeah that's cleared that up!!
Cheers Buenchico. So the answer is 8, 9, 10 or 11.
That would make one helluva quiz question!
Thanks all.

[Cloverjo]

I make it 10 on the show courts. 3 at each end for the sidelines and middle line, one for the service line (he/she does both lines by moving to the appropriate place depending on who is serving), one at each baseline plus the chair umpire. On lesser courts, the judge on the Middle line moves to the sideline after the serve, so 8 in total.

[Gizmonster]

I think the base and serve lines are covered by automatic sensors .... but common sense says that there must be judges on the base line .... no sensors can cover foot faults .... surely ??
How does a machine, that's covering the line along the floor, know when a ball has been struck by the server ??

[Cloverjo]

Before Hawkeye came along, Wimbledon used Cyclops - an automatic sensor on the service line. Now they have a human judge on that line, and they always have had on the baseline.