How much do Tennis Umpires get paid?
The pay rate does differ quite significantly depending on the tournaments and the levels of the umpires.
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Chair Umpires during matches (Image: US Open)
Umpires also called referees are one of the most important parts of any sport be it Tennis, Cricket, or Football. They travel along with the players for tournaments across the globe. Major responsibilities include enforcing the rules of the game while being impartial and act a general overseer during the matches.
In Tennis, the chair umpire is the final authority on all questions of fact during the match. This includes whether a ball was in, the calling of a service let, or the calling of a foot fault. With tennis matches lasting for hours, the umpires need to be equipped with the ability to focus for a long and obviously, this is not an easy job. So, how much salary do tennis umpires take home with the hectic job they do on the courts?
The umpires are classified into three levels, from 1 to 3. They get a ‘badge’ corresponding to the Level. This ‘badge’ also determines the pay of the umpires. Gold badge umpire is the highest category of umpires and they typically officiate Grand Slam, ATP World Tour, and WTA Tour matches.
The pay level and other perks of the umpires correspond to the ‘Badge’ Level
To become an International Level Tennis Umpire, one must pass a Level 3 School certification from ITF. Those chair umpires who pass a “Level 3” school start with a Bronze Badge and can be promoted to Silver and then to Gold following a review of their work rate and performance in the annual review conducted by the ITF, ATP, and WTA. Moving from a lower to a higher badge level is a lengthy process.
Currently, there are 35 chair umpires including men and women. Carlos Ramos, a gold badge chair umpire from Portugal is one of only two persons to have chair umpired a singles finals match in all four of the Grand Slam tournaments, the other being Alison Hughes. These Gold Badge Tennis Umpire’s salary is about $80k per annum. Lower-level umpires take home around $30k per year.
The pay also varies according to the tournaments. At the 2018 US Open gold badge officials received a standard day rate of $450, the lowest of any Grand Slam. Australian Open is the only Grand Slam to offer overtime for umpires officiating over 10 hours per day. The Slam is also the one to offer the highest salary among the other Majors.
With busy ATP and WTA calendars, combining all the big and small level events a Gold Badge Umpire will be taking home around $70-80k per annum. For the lower-level umpires the figure hovers at around $30k per year. Other than the pay, travel expenses are also covered by the Grand Slams. The ‘badge’ level plays a role in the perks too.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)