A tennis match needs umpires to ensure that the results are fair and the players do not violate any rules of the match.
Each year, more than 100 tennis tournaments take place. When a tennis match takes place, there will be two umpires watching over the match, the chair umpire and the line umpire.
Tennis is a widely popular sport that is followed by people from all parts of the world and it is a business with a huge annual cash flow.
With that arises a common question, “how much do tennis umpires get paid?“
As a tennis enthusiast myself, it was one of the most interesting questions that I used to ask in my early days of matches. And if you’re on the same page, this article will help you get an answer.
How Much Do Tennis Umpires Get Paid?
According to records from 2020, the average fee of professional tennis umpires is £1500 per match.
If they are umpiring grand slams, they are paid around £5000 per match. On average, the yearly salary of a tennis umpire is around £350,000.
Shockingly, there’s a wide disparity in the salaries of male umpires and female umpires. The average per match fee of a female umpire is £750. If they umpire grand slams, they are paid £1500. The average annual salary of women tennis umpires is £200,000.
For entry-level umpires, the match fees they are paid is around £350 per match and they receive an annual salary of £50,000. Entry-level umpires are not given the charge of grand slam events.
Although the line umpires have got a lot of work, they are paid less than the chair umpires. A line umpire is paid £500 per match and if they are umpiring a grand slam event, they are paid £1500.
All the salary details provided in this article are based on the reports released by the International Tennis Federation.
Gold Badge Umpires And Salary
Gold badge umpires are appointed for officiating the WTA World Tour, ATP World Tour, and Grand Slam tournaments.
The umpires that come in the Gold Badge category have many years of experience and are highly skilled. They are paid a significantly larger salary than umpires that do not come in this category.
However, the salary gap between male and female umpires is evident in the Gold Badge category too. When the male umpires are paid £1500 per match, the female chair umpires are paid £750 per match.
Also read: What is an Ace in Tennis? (Rules & How to Score)
Tennis Umpire Salary in 2022
Let’s quickly sum up what we discussed so far:
Tennis Umpire Type | Per Match Fee |
---|---|
Professional Tennis Umpire (Male) | £1500 |
Professional Tennis Umpire (Female) | £750 |
Professional Tennis Umpire (Male) – Grand Slam | £5000 |
Professional Tennis Umpire (Female) – Grand Slam | £1500 |
Entry-level Umpire | £350 |
Line Umpire | £500 |
Line Umpire – Grand Slam | £1500 |
Annual Salary of Professional Tennis Umpire (Male) | £350,000 |
Annual Salary of Professional Tennis Umpire (Female) | £200,000 |
What Are The Duties Of A Tennis Umpire?
The umpires have the full responsibility of ensuring that a tennis match is played fairly with all the rules correctly followed. The assistance of technology helps umpires in their job.
What Are The Duties Of A Chair Umpire?
A chair umpire has greater authority than a line umpire in a tennis match. Ensuring that all rules of tennis are properly followed and the players maintain the code of conduct is the duty of the chair umpire.
He/she has the authority to make decisions that overrule the decisions of the line umpire if the latter makes a mistake. The chair umpire has the final word when it comes to all questions of fact that arise during the match.
How To Become A Tennis Chair Umpire?
If you enjoy tennis, like the idea of earning extra money in your spare time, and are willing to travel to tournaments around the world, becoming a chair umpire might be for you.
To become an international tennis umpire, players must attend one or two years’ worth of clinics hosted by the Professional Tennis Umpires Association (PTUA), based in Houston.
Then, a prospective umpire must pass a strict series of evaluations to become certified and an international umpire is eligible for tournament assignments.
How Much Do Chair Umpires Make in Tennis?
Tennis chair umpires are paid between $1000 to $1500 per week plus expenses when working Grand Slam events, the US Open, Davis Cup matches, or other high-level tournaments.
Chair umpires generally work about 100 days a year, depending on how many tournaments are being played at the time. Combined, the average earning of a tennis chair umpire can go up to $72,000 – $84,000 per annum.
It’s important to note that this information does not include unauthorized or “under the table” payments in cash or in-kind that can be made by players or coaches to umpires.
In 2012, the tennis world was shaken by allegations that several players, including top-ranked Rafael Nadal and other Grand Slam champions, had been bribing chair umpires for years.
The scandal broke when a number of high-level European umpires were caught betting on matches they had officiated.
What Are The Duties Of A Line Umpire?
Line umpires watch every movement of the players and call the lines. They are offering assistance to the chair umpires in ensuring the game is played fairly.
Line umpires have to concentrate for long periods of time and should have great eyesight.
How Much Does a Tennis Line Umpire Get Paid?
A line umpire makes around 20 thousand pounds per annum during Grand Slam events, the US Open, Davis Cup matches, and other high-level tournaments.
Like chair umpires, line judges work about 100 days per year; however, they generally don’t earn as much money for their work because they aren’t in charge of calling out scores.
Read More: Do Tennis Players Wear Cups? Everything You Need To Know
My name is Reagen and I started AllTennisGear (earlier AllTennisShoes) as a way to share my humble experience and help new Tennis players. Thank you for spending a few minutes of your day here and know that your feedback is always welcome.
Why on earth are female umpires paid less?
I know right. I didn’t understand that either.