The world's leading tennis umpires reveal the best thing about their globe-trotting jobs, and what it's like to keep an eye on the action from the best seat in the house. 

Louise Azemar Engzell 

I had the passion for tennis but I was not good enough to become a player, but I could still be involved with the sport that I love. You travel around the world, you meet people from all over the world and you go these tournaments that are just a dream to be able to participate in.

 

Marijana Veljovic

I really like the way that we develop as people as well. Umpires are also under pressure as players are, and people you know deal differently with pressure. It’s almost like we’ve studied psychology, in some way.

 

John Blom

I like the chance I get to work under pressure. You’ve got to make decisions and you've got to be sharp with that. You have to solve problems on the run sometimes, which I enjoy the challenge of. I like being under pressure and having to figure things out in quick time and get matches running smoothly.

 

Mohammed Lahyani

I’ve been doing it for 30 years and it’s still like my first time. I love to be out there. I see a lot of cultures, I’m travelling so you get a lot of friends and it’s a job that every day you learn something new.

And this kind of occasion, Davis Cup, brings so much. The players, the teams, you gain a lot of credit because the players and coaches see what you do. You learn a lot on Davis Cup because they are close to you.

 

Jaume Campistol

For me, the opportunity to travel the world and discover new places and meet new people.

 

Damien Dumusois

Travelling is the best thing about my job, meeting people all over the world – that is something that has no price.

 

Marko Petrovic

Being on court with some of the best players in the world is definitely a unique moment that many people would like to experience. Then providing the service that we do, making the match fair and smooth, is one of the best things that you can do for the players. The best thing that you can experience is after the match that player comes to you and says ‘good job’. That means that you're in the right place at the right moment and you did well.

 

Luca Laugero

I come from a very small town in the Alps in Italy, it's like 7000 people living there. So as soon as I started doing this, I saw it was an opportunity to travel the world and to meet new people, new cultures and be part of something way bigger than the me and my little village, you know? So I think it was a it was a great opportunity to develop myself as a human being.