The First Serve podcast: The life of a professional chair umpire

Eva Asderaki-Moore has been one of the premier chair umpires in men’s and women’s tennis for over twenty years. The Greek-born, Melbourne-based woman holds a rare gold certification from the International Tennis Federation and has officiated some of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time. One of her greatest achievements was being the first female chair umpire to officiate a US Open men’s final.

One of the difficult aspects of the job, according to Asderaki-Moore, is the rigorous travel the job demands.

“It’s certainly not easy. I travel by myself. I try to keep in touch [with people] at home. Skype has made it so much easier,” she told The First Serve panel on Sunday.

Asderaki-Moore also gave insight on what it’s like to oversee the drama and emotions of high-stakes tennis matches.

“We are there to do a job. We need to stay focused from the beginning until the end. The way we manage to do that is to go out there and know that this is your job….The first couple of games we get into the atmosphere of the match and then we go into our little bubble and go through our routine.”

When asked what her favourite tournaments are Asderaki-Moore said Italy, Doha, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Tennis journalist David Packman also joined the panel to discuss the Australian pro tour.

Listen to the full podcast here: