Fergus Murphy is a veteran referee from Dublin, Ireland. He has refereed on tennis’ biggest stages. He began his Grand Slam career. 1995 He has chaired some of the largest and most competitive matches at tennis’ most prestigious tournaments. Author Jack Martin caught up with him while he was in Montreal. ATP sightseeing.
How did you get into tennis refereeing?
“The Irish tennis scene is small, but I was always at the Castleknock club in Dublin as a kid. 25 A few hours a day. I ended up on the committee there and met the referee association. I became involved with them when I was studying to become a lawyer. I was writing to everyone who was trying to get refereeing experience. Little by little, I refereed bigger and bigger games. in 95I said, ‘I’ll just do it for one year.’ 29 “Years later, I’m still doing it.”
What is the best thing about refereeing?
“Traveling a lot is both an advantage and a disadvantage. There are two summers a year. In Australia and Europe USA. But at the end 20 Over the years we have had some of the best players to ever play the game. I judged Federer to start the finish, Murray to start the finish, Nadal to finish soon and Djokovic to watch. Being part of that golden age is a huge plus. I just happened to be there.”
“The best part is the adrenaline. You become an adrenaline junkie. You are influencing the game. At some stage you will need to intervene. I am used to being anxious and nervous a lot. But it feels good.”
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Did you build relationships with the players?
“The rules for judging prevent us from being friends. We maintain a friendly but professional distance. “We use the same cafeteria as the players at the tournament, but we don’t sit down and eat with them.”
What is your favorite tournament?
“I would say Wimbledon. It’s not because of the history and mystery. But it’s a club built in the suburbs. On the other hand, most of the time I am in purpose-built facilities. go to australia us Both open grounds are designed for major events. Wimbledon has become like that. “I really like being able to go into the village and mingle with the locals.”
What can be done to improve Irish tennis?
“When people meet me they say, ‘I never knew Irish people played tennis.’ Part of the reason is education. We don’t have a main player to copy. Most parents will tell their children to focus on education rather than tennis. If Roger Federer had been there, participation would have been at its peak. It’s like when there was Stephen Roche in the Tour de France and everyone was on a bike. “Hopefully we’ll be lucky and get the best player out there.”
