We all know the lifestyle of a tennis player. Travelling, practice and the occasional tweet make up the day-to-day scenario of your typical professional. But what of the people we do not see in the limelight?

Matthew McAleer has officiated in 52 Grand Slam Tournaments

Matthew McAleer is an Australian professional tennis umpire. On first glance you may think you know what his job entails but it consists of more than just sitting in the umpire’s chair. His career path has seen him rise from being a ball boy in his native Sydney to officiating 16 consecutive Wimbledon Championships.

In those years he has been to all the Grand Slams, amassing 52 in total, and has been closest to some of the most memorable matches in the sport’s history.

“I was a line umpire on the [Roger] Federer versus [Andy] Roddick match at Wimbledon (2009 Final) which went way into the fifth set and on for about four hours,” he recalled on his way to the courts. “And the year before that when Federer played [Rafael] Nadal in a really long match too.”

“Going further back to the Australian Open in the 80’s I worked on the final between Monica Seles and Steffi Graf. That always stands out in my mind because it went on for quite some time and it was really amazing tennis.”

Having been involved with umpiring at home for over 10 years it was not until 1996 that McAleer started officiating abroad. It proved to be a huge year for him as his first overseas tournament was none other than Wimbledon while his services were also called upon for the US Open and Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Sixteen years on, he has not missed a single Wimbledon, witnessing Federer and Maria Sharapova’s first major victories from next to the baseline being his particular highlights.

“I’ve come to London every year for the last 16 years – it’s really quite amazing. I never get sick of coming to officiate at Wimbledon. It’s so special, you know, the home of tennis. I never take it for granted to be selected every year, I just feel very honoured to be part of it.”

In previous visits to the UK, McAleer has also been to Edgbaston to cover the women’s tournament in Birmingham as well as the ATP event at Queen’s Club. With that much time in Great Britain he has grown to enjoy the culture but not so much the summertime tradition we’re all accustomed to.

“I certainly don’t like the weather!” he said. “But I like the royals and that sort of thing. I love all the parks and the British countryside. There’s nothing quite like the British countryside. It’s so beautiful.”

Rain always plays a major factor at SW19. While players try to keep focused in their locker rooms, how do umpires deal with a delayed period off court?

“I usually eat a lot because there’s not much to do,” he revealed. “Generally people will play cards and games or just sit around and talk. A lot of people play cards when it’s raining, it’s quite a common thing.”

Over the years the New South Wales official has seen vast improvements including new rackets and the introduction of hawk-eye. He also believes the day might come when his job becomes redundant because of the electronic system.

“It’s possible it could happen. You’re obviously going to have a chair umpire sit there and call out the scores – unless it’s a machine, I don’t know. Maybe they’ll trial it somewhere and remove all the line umpires and just let the chair umpire call the shots himself. But, as we know, machines break down. You’re always going to have people on standby just in case that happens.”

McAleer was involved in the first professional tournament to use hawk-eye at the WTA event in Miami and can recall the ups and downs it inflicts.

“I remember it was Maria Sharapova and she was playing Anastasia Myskina. It was a night match, I was on the line and the ball came down and I was sure it was out. She didn’t like it and questioned the call and it turned out I was right. But then just a few points later I called it in and it was actually out so you can be shot down in flames as quick as you can feel good.”

“But that’s what makes a good official. Someone that makes a mistake and owns up to it and puts it at the back of their mind and moves on quickly.”

On reflection, though, he believes hawk-eye is having a good impact in the sport even though it adds more shine to the spotlight when a challenge comes.

“As a chair umpire, the electronic system has really helped. So many people will say ‘Ugh, I don’t know why you’re a tennis umpire, every time I see a tennis game officials are getting screamed and yelled at’. The bottom line is, the players accept it and they move on so there’s less argument. As a line umpire it’s a totally different story because it puts so much more pressure on you to get the call right.”

Despite the intensity on him and his decisions, McAleer has been named the no.1 ranked line judge on two occasions by the ATP and would recommend his job to any tennis fanatic.

“If people have a real passion for tennis and love to travel then yeah I recommend it but it’s not something for people who get nervous easy or can’t handle pressure. You need nerves of steel.”

At 42 years of age McAleer believes he’s still got some years left in him on tour but just how much longer will he be present on the famous grass courts of SW19?

“You take it from year to year. If you umpire 25 years at Wimbledon you’re presented with a certificate and given free tickets every year. I don’t know if I can make it to 25 but it would be nice. We’ll see what happens.”

So, here’s to another nine years of travelling, pressure and the occasional game of cards.

Editor: I would just like to take the opportunity to thank Matthew for taking time out from his hectic schedule at the Wimbledon Championships to speak to us. Thanks also to a former colleague of Matthew’s, our own columnist Lucy Child, who facilitated this fascinating insight.

Lewis Davies

Sports Journalism student at Staffordshire University. Favourite sports include football, tennis, boxing, American football and baseball.

More Posts - Twitter