Tamed The Tantrums of Tennis - How A Little Known Reformer
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Our Promise: “One Great Story Every Issue!”
The Man Who
World Tennis Tamed The Tantrums
Gazette of Tennis
How A Little Known Reformer
JANUARY 2020 Vol 12, No 8 Helped the Sport Avoid Disaster
BY JOHN MARTIN by national tennis authori-
MELBOURNE, Austral- ties.
ia — When this year’s Each year in the world
Australian Open ends on of international profession-
Sunday night (Feb 2), it al tennis, hundreds of men
will mark the completion of and women circle the
two weeks of largely flaw- globe to keep the scores
less, argument-free work and enforce the rules in a
by more than 400 certi- fair, impartial, and con-
fied chair umpires and World Tennis Gazette/John Martin sistent manner.
line judges. In two CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS: Emmanuel It wasn’t always this
weeks of tennis combat Joseph of France, left, and Eva Asderaki- way. Until about 45 years
at the highest level, the Moore of Greece working as chair umpires ago, tennis officiating was
lone notable argument at the 2020 Australian Open in Melbourne. hit or miss.
erupted between Aus- Chair umpires were fre-
tralian Nick Kyrgios and Chair Umpire James quently buddies of tournament directors whose
Keothavong of Great Britain. friendships with agents or players raised ques-
Losing a point to Rafael Nadal, Kyrgios tions of unequal treatment.
smashed his racket and Line callers were some-
drew a stern glare and times superb and sometimes
warning. Kyrgios glared drowsy. Rules were often
back. The moment subject to erratic revision on
passed swiftly. There was the run.
no prolonged tantrum. Ke- Players, meanwhile, com-
othavong prevailed, a peted in an air of uncertainty.
Gold Badge Chair Umpire In the mid-1970s, a small
keeping the lid on a play- number of top male players
er noted for his temper. repeatedly disrupted match-
Keothavong and his es by outbursts aimed at dis-
umpire colleagues hail tracting their opponents.
from no fewer than 20 na- To be sure, many tourna-
tions, including China, In- ments were graced with effi-
dia, Kazakhstan, Germa- cient, fair, and competent
ny, Croatia, Serbia, Swe- administration by skilled, ex-
den, Italy, France, Spain, International Tennis Weekly, Oct 24, 1980 perienced officials.
and Portugal All had LISTENER: Dick Roberson, Chief Grand Prix But many major tennis
been trained and certified Supervisor, hears player Gene Mayer complain. championships were sullied
Page 2 World Tennis Gazette JANUARY 2020
“Are You Listening to Me?” Roberson Demanded of a Recruit
by incompetence. climb into the chair.
With support slipping among fans “You had to be one of his buddies
and investors, professional tennis in order to get in. I mean, they had no
reached a crisis point. evaluation system.”
In1978, the Association of Tennis In search of innovation and re-
Professionals turned to an obscure form, between 1978 and 1982, Rob-
savior: Dick Roberson of San Diego. erson disappeared from his workplace
For much of 14 years beginning in John McEnroe in Southern California.
1972, Roberson worked quietly as a At the insistence of the ATP, which
sales representative of Penn Racquet Sports. paid his yearly $35,000 salary, he was hired by
Each summer, he moonlighted as the supervisor the Men’s International Professional Tennis
of officials for the World Team Tennis circuit. Council.
WTT’s organizers, working with Billy Jean In effect, he was the world’s first paid profes-
King, directed Roberson to rethink the way tennis sional tennis official.
was conducted on the professional level. Roberson’s mandate was to train and create
He soon recruited experienced offi- a corps of paid professional chair um-
cials from the worlds of pro football, pires who would enforce the rules
basketball, and baseball. Their task against profanity, racquet abuse, and
was to help him enforce a new style of disruptive behavior in the tantrum-filled
tennis officiating. age of Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe,
“I said, ‘Here’s how we gotta cover and Jimmy Connors.
the court,’ you know. So we got it Tournaments “were losing spon-
down to a five-man system, and she sors,” Roberson said, “they were los-
(Billie Jean King) just absolutely loved ing ticket holders, I mean, nobody
it.” wanted to sit courtside because of the
Seeking reforms, he experimented, Ilie Nastase vulgar language. I mean, it was dread-
giving chair umpires authority to penal- ful.”
ize and default players, no longer deferring to an Roberson recruited referees and umpires to
off-court tournament referee. attend training schools he staged in Dallas, Par-
“In the early ‘70’s,” Roberson said, “a few is, Sydney, and Hong Kong.
countries addressed the conduct issues with the By 1980, the number of trained and certified
U.S.T.A. being the leader in setting up some pro- Grand Prix officials topped 100, according to a
cedures that at least gave a warning to the play- story in the Christian Science Monitor, which
er. called them tennis’s “inspectors general.”.
“But that procedure wasn’t used,” Roberson Embarking on the ATP world circuit, Rob-
said, “because the chair umpires were afraid of erson hired three fellow supervisors, including
the players. Kurt Nielsen of De-
“It was an old boy mark, the 1955 Wim-
system,” he said. In World Tennis Gazette bledon finalist.
Vol 12 No 6 January 2020
Los Angeles at that Together they
time, he explained, a A magazine for players, coaches, fans, searched for men
nod from the head and friends of tennis throughout the world. and women who
Each issue contains a story and photo-
tennis official of the would enforce a new
graphs on a single subject. All are the re-
city was the main sponsibility of the editor. To subscribe, code of conduct. In
qualification for an comment, or make suggestions, email: Richard Osborn in the process, Rob-
aspiring umpire to worldtennisgazette@yahoo.com. Editor: John Martin er-son persuaded
Page 3 World Tennis Gazette JANUARY 2020
Looking Back on a Notorious Player Dispute with a Chair Umpire
the tennis establish-
leagues, who then
ments in the United
disseminated it to
States, Australia,
the referees and
England, and France
then the chair um-
to adopt his methods.
pires. And he was
Other nations fol-
also a big supporter
lowed.
of chair umpires. He
One of his early
understood that
recruits, Rich Kauf-
overrule was neces-
man, a linesman from
sary,” Earley said in
the Pacific Northwest
a 2011 interview
who lived in England,
with The New York
took instructions from
Times.
Roberson, won his
The ability of chair
confidence, and was
umpires to overrule
chosen to climb into DISPUTE ON YOUTUBE: Player Serena Williams
versus Umpire Carlos Ramos in September, 2018 line callers was
the umpire’s chair in
needed, so errors
the 1983 Wimbledon US Open Women’s Final. They stood on a match-
could be corrected.
Gentlemen’s Singles point cliff too steep to escape. Millions watched
on TV, then shared this photo on YouTube. Roberson also
Final.
pushed for uniformi-
Kaufman later became Chief Umpire of the U.S.
ty, Earley said.
Open.
“He’s the one who said, ‘okay, let’s all do
At an early meeting, Kaufmann recalled, his at-
this the same way.’ There are many differ-
tention seemed to wander. Roberson took emphat-
ent fair ways to do it and you can decide
ic action.
what’s fair, but let’s all do it the same way.’”
“I was maybe sort of half listening, when he first
”Dick Roberson was the true beginning
started talking to me, and he grabbed my collar
of professional officiating,” said Phyllis
and pulled me in, ’Rich, do I have your attention?’
“Woodie” Hoffman, 84, who served 46 years
He was holding a sheet of paper. There were
at the U.S Open starting as a line judge and
about 10 things on the sheet of paper. And I said,
retiring in 2014 as Chief Umpire.
’Yes, Dick. Yes sir.’
“He was the best thing that ever hap-
“And he kept holding my collar, not real tight,
pened here,” she told The New York Times.
but tight enough to get my attention. And he went
Sixteen months ago at the 2018 U.S.
down the list of 8-9-10 things that he wanted me to
Open, the concept of professional officiating
concentrate on the next match. And after he said
faced its sternest test in many years.
that, he said, ‘So, do you understand?’ And I said,
In the women’s final, an an-
‘Yes Sir.’ He said, ‘Okay, you’re going
gry Serena Williams and a du-
on court next, do it right.’”
ty-driven chair umpire, Carlos
Brian Earley, who stepped down
Ramos, engaged in a tense,
in 2018 from the U.S. Open position
bitter dispute.
of Chief Referee, saw Roberson’s
Williams’ outburst, which
role in professionalizing the sport’s
included calling Ramos a
conduct as vital within a narrow uni-
“thief” and “liar” and repeatedly
verse of tennis officiating.
demanding an apology, was
“He was known for his fairness,
1980 2011 carried out in an angry tone
and also for sharing his ideas about
Dick Roberson that was audible to millions
the Code of Conduct with his col-
Page 4 World Tennis Gazette JANUARY 2020
2020 Assessment: ‘Integrity of Game Is Back Under Control’
around the world. Wrong Time to Ask the
Ultimately, it Right Question.”
led to a series of According to Rob-
match-ending ex- erson, women’s tennis
changes that adopted his same new
stunned the tennis standards in the 1970s
universe as have regarding on-court misbe-
few audible alter- havior even though wom-
cations. en were notably well be-
The issue was haved.
Ramos’s discovery “Up to this time,” he
that Williams’s wrote to World Tennis Ga-
coach was signal- zette, “Women’s tennis
ing her from his did not have the same
courtside seat. Wil- problem as the men. The
liams, who Women’s Tennis Associa-
seemed unaware tion did not have to ad-
of the signals, dress player conduct.
erupted in indigna- There were no bad wom-
tion. en.”
When she per- Some credit for to-
sisted, she collect- day’s relative tranquility
ed penalty points goes to the technology of
under the estab- Hawk-Eye’s instant replay
lished rules. Soon cameras, which cut down
she was standing on arguments which once
on a match-point entangled players and of-
cliff. It was too late ficials.
to recover. Wil- Roberson takes —
liams fell in defeat. World Tennis Gazette/John Martin and deserves — substan-
Condemna- BATTLE: Serena Williams in Melbourne in 2020. tial credit for establishing
tions flew. USTA a worldwide system of
President Katrina Adams criticized Ra- rules and certification for the men and
mos’s rigidity, then eased back in mild women who call the lines and keep
apology that managed to infuriate um- the scores.
pires and line judges. One veteran um- From his retirement home in
pire exclaimed that Adams had thrown Phoenix, Roberson writes of the cur-
Ramos and his fellow rules keepers rent status of professional tennis offi-
“under the bus.” ciating:
Roberson agreed. He also dis- “This program is still going on to-
missed a parallel issue raised by Wil- day with some modifications in the
liams, who asked whether she and training of court officials,” he said.
other women are held unfairly to a WATCHFUL: In1980s, “Player behavior is under control
more rigorous standard than men. trained linespersons and the integrity of the game back
A New York Times sports column at (above) replaced inex- under control by properly trained ten-
the height of the controversy was head- perienced friends of
tournament directors. nis officials.”
lined “Serena Williams Picks the
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