In December 2021, we were delighted to hear that ABTO member and ITF Chair Umpire Richard Haigh received his ITF Gold Badge – the highest level of international certification in tennis officiating – making him one of three British Chair Umpires to currently officiate at this level.
We caught up with Richard to congratulate him on this fantastic achievement and to find out more about him and how he got to where he is now.
How and why did you get into officiating and what has been your journey to getting your Gold Badge?
I started by going to a Futures event in Hull as a spectator and I was also playing some tennis at the same time. Officiating looked like fun so I signed up to a Basic Line Umpire (BLU) course. That was in 2000. I then passed my White Badge school in 2006; in 2009 I was promoted to bronze and in 2012 to silver. Then in 2021 to gold.
What has been your proudest moment?
My proudest moment was in 2019 when I officiated the mens doubles final at Wimbledon. The match was amazing and lasted 4h 57min. Then of course being promoted to a Gold Badge Chair Umpire in 2021.
In your view, what is the most challenging aspect of being a Chair Umpire?
There are two that stand out. One is being away from home for long periods of time and missing family events. The other is to maintain focus and make decisions when matches are extremely long and the pressure is building.
How do you stay on top of your game?
Doing the basics right is an essential foundation. The advanced techniques come in by umpiring as many matches as possible.
How busy is your schedule?
I officiate about 25 weeks of the year. On average I chair approximately 200 matches per year. This shouldn’t change too much now that I am a Gold Badge umpire.
What do you think are the most important skills or attributes required in your role?
Building the players' confidence in my decisions. This is crucial and can only be done by umpiring lots of matches and making lots of correct calls. Good communication is also one of the key skills an official needs. Being able to communicate and sell your decisions is imperative. And finally, you also need to be very organised, as we travel a lot and mostly this needs to be organised by the official.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to become a tennis official?
Try to be a player instead... the money is much better!! Joking aside, though, I would say give officiating a try. There are many different roles within officiating and you may find something you really love, and that doesn’t have to be being a chair umpire.
If you could introduce a new rule in tennis (or change an existing one), what would it be and why?
I would probably say that players should only get one break per match. They can use this break for the bathroom or a medical timeout or just for a rest. But only one per match!
28 January 2022
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