As Australia enjoys watching the summer of tennis on TV or visiting Melbourne, six ACT umpires have been up close to the action, on court at Australian Open 2018.<\/p>\n
Myles Emery, as one of Australia\u2019s top line umpires who regularly appears on Rod Laver and Hisense Arena and Emma Walter, chair umpire, was joined by Guy Sancataldo and Marc Vandenbroucke in their second and third years at Australia\u2019s premier tournament.\u00a0 This year the team included the debut of two officials, Ammad Shamsi and Susan Atkinson participating in their first Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Ammad and Susan started out at a local line umpire course and honed their skills at the ACT Claycourt International events held at the Canberra Tennis Centre, Lyneham.<\/p>\n
Ammad Shamsi, who started in officiating in 2015 has relished his time in officiating. \u201cI enjoy being involved in a sport I love and feeling the rush of being on court with the best players.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you sign up to tennis officiating, you will become part of the greater tennis family and you’ll always be looked after. Tennis provides a great opportunity to make friends from all over the world and travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan Atkinson, also started in 2015 and enjoyed her first experience at the year\u2019s first grand slam.\u00a0 \u201cMy first Australian Open is even more exciting than I thought it would be. Wandering the grounds and seeing the players, past and present, brings out the fan in me\u201d revealed Susan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe buzz of the crowds and the standard of tennis makes it an unforgettable experience. The other officials from all over the country and around the world are like an immediate family with everyone looking out for each other. It\u2019s been such a blast I can\u2019t wait until next year!\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma Walter, ACT Officiating Adviser is excited about the opportunities available for people who love tennis to get involved in officiating.\u00a0 \u201cCanberra hosts five premier international tournaments which is such a fantastic opportunity for people who want to be involved in a sport they love and as Ammad and Sue demonstrate, it is a perfect stepping stone to being part of one of the grand slams.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll people need to do is to express interest, attend a free introductory session and then get out on court and give it a go at one of our many local tournaments\u201d explains Emma.<\/p>\n