The Rules of Tennis
The ITF Rules of Tennis describes the roles and responsibilities of tennis officials who may oversee play in a match. The “net umpire” is a role that time has almost forgotten. The net umpire had one function, calling service lets. It was perhaps the cushiest role in all of tennis officiating. The net umpire sat in a chair with two fingers on the net cord in order to detect when serves clipped the net cord. Once the serve was in play, the net umpire turned into a spectator with the best seat in the house.
Just as line calling officiating positions have been sharply curtailed with the advent of Hawk-Eye Live, the net umpire position has similarly been a victim of progress in technology. Nets at professional tournaments are equipped with sensors that inform the chair umpire when a service let is detected. When Hawk-Eye Live is used, the let signal is fed directly into that system for an audible call.
There is minor controversy over whether the net umpire used to call “let” or “net” when the ball tipped the net. I am convinced that the correct answer is actually both. I believe it to be a matter of the preference of the calling official.
I was unable to locate a quality still image of a net umpire in action, so a screen shot from the 1975 Wimbledon Final between Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors will have to suffice. In the full video, the net umpire can be clearly observed making the call and then chilling out throughout the remaining duration of many of the points.
As an editorial aside, Connors was playing this match with the legendary Wilson T2000 racquet. That is another interesting angle outside of the iconic match and the opportunity to observe the net umpire in his natural habitat.
- United States Tennis Association (2021), Friend at Court: Handbook of Rules and Regulations, White Plains, NY
- Arthur Ashe v Jimmy Connors: Wimbledon Final 1975 (Extended Highlights), Official Wimbledon Channel on YouTube
When I trained as an umpire, we were taught to call ‘net’ immediately when the ball touched the net in a serve. Then, after determining whether the ball then bounced in or outside of the service box it would be determined whether it would be a ‘let’ or a ‘fault’.
That makes complete sense, thanks!