28 February 2023 | Tennis Queensland
As a lifelong tennis player and lover of the game, Toni Griffin stumbled upon officiating in 2011 when a friend suggested she should give it a go! Since then, officiating has taken Toni across the world and to the highest levels of the game including multiple Australian Open Finals, as well as Davis and Fed Cup events.
We had a chat to Toni about her officiating journey to date:
How did you get into Officiating?
I have been a lifelong tennis player and always loved watching the sport, whether live or on television. One of my friends (also a tennis player) was already an official and suggested I become one too, this was back in 2011.
What do you love most about Officiating?
I love the game, I have made some wonderful friends and I love the challenge umpiring presents.
You were recently involved in the 2023 Summer of Tennis – tell us about what you got up to:
My 2023 Summer of Tennis was much more than I expected. It was my first Summer of Tennis in a few years due to Covid and, while the summer was very different to previous years, in many respects it was the same.
I was a match assistant at the United Cup in Brisbane for a few days before flying to Adelaide to be a line umpire. It was great to be back on court calling lines at such a high level tournament.
From there it was on to Melbourne for 2 weeks as match assistant at the Australian Open and what a 2 weeks it was … heat, rain delays and exceptional tennis all capped off by being chosen as a match assistant for the women’s singles final, what a privilege!
I’m looking forward to doing it all again next year!
What would you say to anyone thinking about getting into Officiating?
When I first started, my goal was to officiate at the Australian Open. This ‘career’ has been so much more. If you love the game, give officiating a chance. Officiating is evolving and the days are long, but the rewards can be so much more. Officiating has brought so much more to my life than I ever thought possible, and I cannot wait to see where it takes me next.
Interested in becoming an official like Toni? Find out more below!
The Community Officiating Program is a starting point for anyone to become an official.
The program has two components as part of the official training.
- Online Theory
- Four online modules (complete at your own pace)
- Practical
- Once the online theory modules are complete and approved by Tennis Australia, participants will be introduced to a state officiating contact who will connect you with a local event to complete the practical.
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