Umpiring in tennis is one of the most high-pressure jobs. The constant need to get the decisions right in high pressure environment warrants good amount of money in return. Chair umpires have often been under fire when players are unhappy with their calls. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have famously had arguments with many umpires in the past. A chair umpire needs authority and decision-making skills that make it a very skilled level job.
To become an international tennis umpire, one needs to clear Level 3 School certification along with L1 and L2. The chair umpires are then assigned a further Bronze Badge, Silver Badge and Gold Badge depending on their performances. The umpires with the gold badge are the highest paid umpires among the group.
The lowest standard day rate of any Grand Slam was awarded to gold badge officials at the 2018 US Open, which was $450. Although this might feel like a small amount, it has increased drastically since 2011. In 2011, the chair umpire at the US Open was paid $250 per day. At the 2018 Wimbledon gold badge umpires received £380 a day (approximately $495).
Based on the rates from 2018, an umpire can make around $25,000 by working in all four Grand Slams. However, other ATP and WTA tournaments are played throughout the year with different salary rates. On an average, along with Grand Slam and 20-25 Masters and ATP tournaments throughout the year, a chair umpire can make $72,000 – $84,000 throughout the year.
Electronic Line Calling (ELC) set to be introduced to assist chair umpires across formats by 2025
The ATP are set to appoint ELC across all events by the 2025. Although ELC Live made its debut in the 2017 NextGen Finals, its popularity has grown after the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Open and the Australian Open have both used ELC in recent years. However, Wimbledon still trust to make calls with referees, in the traditional way.
The French Open organizers have also declined to use the use the ELC on the clay surface. The chair umpire often gets down to the court and sees the ball spots to make a close call at the Roland Garros. However now, with technology available, it will be interesting to see how long do the Wimbledon and French Open resist without opting for technology. With ELC, players can no longer challenge calls, as they are already automated.
