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1. Being an official in any sport is tough, and they are always vulnerable to abuse from the players. This is particularly so in the world of tennis, where there is often only a few millimetres between in and out. What was the name of the tennis player who was just as famous for his disagreements with chair umpires as for his win at Wimbledon in 1984?
2. Chair umpires in tennis go unnoticed more often than not, but some are remembered for officiating Grand Slam finals. Which of the following BBC tennis commentators was the chair umpire for the 1984 men's singles final of Wimbledon?
3. Often the official who has the honour of being the chair umpire for a tennis Grand Slam final is from the country that is hosting the tournament. Keeping that in mind, which of the following umpires was in the chair for the 2009 French Open final between Robin Soderling and Roger Federer?
4. Amongst tennis officials, just as is the case in all walks of life, there are the aloof and the extroverts. One of the most extrovert umpires was Mohamed Lahyani, a very popular umpire who often played up to the crowd. Which of the following countries did this stalwart of the ATP tour represent?
5. In tennis, chair umpires are ranked with coloured badges. The first badge an umpire can earn is the white badge which allows the recipient to officiate at the highest level within their own country. What coloured badge is mandatory if an umpire wished to officiate in the final of a grand slam tournament such as the 'Au'stralian Open?
6. It appears as though being a line judge (line umpire) is a truly thankless job. The centre service line judge seems to get a bad deal as they are right in the firing line of serves well in excess of 100mph. Not including the chair umpire, how many line judges are present at any one time on Centre Court at Wimbledon?
7. During a tennis rally, the ball hits the court such that most of the ball is out. A very small part of the ball hits the line and the line judge calls the ball out. Would the line judge have been correct to call that ball out?
8. The job of the chair umpire appears simple, sit there and look at the lines whilst calling out the score. Though in fairness it must be a lot harder than it looks. However, during the Wimbledon tournament of 2004, chair umpire Ted Watts made a massive error. This error played a part in the victory of Karolina Sprem over her hugely successful opponent. Who was her opponent, the winner of the singles title at Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008?
9. Probably one of the most controversial matches in the history of tennis took place during the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2004. Serena Williams was playing Jennifer Capriati in an all American affair where a win would have meant a great deal to either player. The match turned into a sour contest as Serena had not just one, two, or three calls go against her. Not even four, but five! Who was the chair umpire for this infamous match?
10. In many sports there are debates held as to whether or not to introduce technology to help officials make the right call. American football is notable for using technology but many other sports are reluctant to take the same step. The world of tennis was revolutionised, however, upon the introduction of which of the following systems used to judge close line calls?
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jonnowales
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