Is It “In” or “Out” … Will You Decide?

Tennis has often been called “The Sport of a Lifetime" because it can be played at all stages of our lives. When we are young, we tend to start by using Red, Orange and Green tennis balls on smaller courts. As our skills improve, we play with regular tennis balls and then some of us return to using Red, Orange, and Green balls on smaller courts as our age advances. But tennis is always there for us as a way to stay active. All you need is a court, a racquet and a hitting partner.

At the USTA, we believe people find themselves with the game of tennis. Some find themselves as league players or coaches, but some find themselves in tennis through officiating. Officiating teaches people to look at tennis through a different lens and appreciate the rules more than they ever had before as players.

Chances are that if you have watched the U.S. Open or played in a tennis tournament, you have seen an official. Officials are an integral part of the sport. Their primary concern is to ensure that tennis matches and tournaments are played under fair conditions and that the rules of tennis are followed. Officials help grow the game of tennis by helping newer players score tie-breaks for the first time, explain the rules of the game and help resolve disputes among players.

There are five main types of officials: Roving Umpire, Chair Umpire, Chief Umpire, Referee and Line Umpire. The most common official at community events is the Roving Umpire, who is also called a “Rover.” These officials have to oversee and watch over a number of courts, making sure they are ready for play, resolve scoring disputes, and helping control spectators. All officials start as Roving Umpires at community events. As an official gains knowledge and experience, they can move to the other officiating disciplines and to higher level events.

With thousands of tennis tournaments across the country each year, the USTA is always looking for individuals to become certified USTA Officials. No matter where you live, there are opportunities to officiate, and now it is easier than ever. In March, the USTA Online Officiating Learning Center was launched. You can become a certified USTA Official by completing four interactive online courses at your own time and pace. These in-depth courses explain the role of officials at events, the types of officials, ITF Rules of Tennis, USTA Regulations and The Code. The online courses will be supplemented with live in-person training that will be rolled out in the next two years.

Officiating is open to all ages, even high school students. Becoming a certified USTA Official can take you many places and is a great way to get involved with your community. Officials can set their own schedules and work as little or as much as their time allows. With a lot of dedication and hard work, some officials have found themselves traveling to tournaments across the country and around the world.

If finding yourself in the game through officiating sounds like something you would be interested in doing, more information is available at USTA.com/Officiating or by reaching out to Officiating@USTA.com.