“You were being a prat!” Andy Murray mourns the loss of ATP’s recently deceased tournament supervisor

Tom Barnes was one of the most loved supervisors on the ATP tour.

“You were being a prat!” Andy Murray mourns the loss of ATP’s recently deceased tournament supervisor

Tom Barnes, Andy Murray (Images via Imago)

British tennis legend Andy Murray mourned the demise of Tom Barnes, the renowned ATP tournament supervisor. Murray paid a heartfelt tribute to Barnes who was loved for his originality and honesty. The Briton said that Barnes was someone who ensured fair decisions were taken and also genuinely cared about the players and officials.

Notably, Tom Barnes passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82. He is survived by his wife Debbie, son, and two grandchildren. Barnes was loved by almost every player on the tour and it showed when social media was flooded with posts mourning his demise.

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Among many messages, Andy Murray’s post stood out as the Briton poured his heart out. Murray called it terrible news and talked about Barnes’ personality. He highlighted how the ATP supervisor took care of things and was brutally honest with everyone. 

Such sad news. He was such a solid guy. Extremely fair in how he dealt with any issues that came up on court and he’d let you know if you were being a prat! Genuinely cared about all the players and officials on tour
Andy Murray wrote on X.

Tom Barnes’ unforgettable contribution to tennis

The messages pouring out on social media from current and former players mourning the demise of Tom Barnes highlight the impact he had on the tour. Barnes not only did his job to perfection but also ensured that everyone around him did their duty with honesty.

Tom-Barnes
Tom Barnes (Image via ATP Tour)

After serving as a member of the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam, Tom Barnes received his international certification as a chair umpire in 1983 and would later serve as the US Open referee in 1991 and 1992. By 1994, he became a full-time supervisor for the ATP Tour.

His most recent role at the ATP was as Director of Officiating Development, and after his retirement in 2021, he continued as a contractor to mentor future generations of officials. Barnes worked until his last breath and loved what he did.

The 82-year-old was involved in tennis officiating for more than three decades and served as a referee at tournaments as recently as last year.

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