How to become a tennis official
Your officiating journey starts here. Learn how to become a certified official so you can serve the game.
Empowering your participants
The role of an official has evolved beyond simply enforcing rules and administering competitions. It’s about creating a fun and inclusive environment that allows players, coaches, volunteers and the communities to thrive.
Not all players are built the same. Understanding what motivates them to join a competition allows you to adapt your approach and help them improve their game. With the support of a dedicated officiating community behind you, you’ll always be ready for the requirements and challenges of today’s sporting environments.
“You become an official to give back to the sport that you love. You get to build relationships with your peers and build a sense of camaraderie. You help junior players stay in the sport for life,” Tennis Australia Official Maria Banica said.
The different types of officiating roles
Community Officials
It’s a fantastic way to jump into officiating at the grassroots level. In this role, you'll oversee multiple courts at tournaments – ensuring smooth operations and supporting players, parents and coaches.
Community Officials often start as Competition Assistants – responsible for handling on-court queries. You’ll progress to a Court Supervisor role, where you’ll play a more active role in creating a positive tennis experience.
Line Umpires
They're responsible for making accurate calls on whether a ball has landed in or out of their assigned line. This role demands exceptional concentration and great eyesight. They also act as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the Chair Umpires, so teamwork is important.
Chair Umpires
Their diverse responsibilities include calling the score and making crucial final decisions on disputed calls.
A successful Chair Umpire needs great communication skills, the ability to stay calm under the intense pressure of a fast-paced rally and 20:20 vision.
The best Chair Umpires work full-time in the role, travelling the world with the tennis tours, which is a great perk of the job.
Match Assistants
Match Assistants play a critical support role at professional tennis tournaments, especially when Live Electronic Line Calling systems are in use. To be considered for the Match Assistant role, you must have Line Umpire experience with positive grades and feedback from Pro Tour levels and above.
Should the electronic system experience any technical difficulties, they have to be able to step in and call lines manually at short notice – requiring a high degree of flexibility.
Referees
This leadership role requires you to lead the officiating team during a tournament – putting your knowledge of the game, your ability to multi-task and your effective communication skills to the test.
As the master of the sport's rules and regulations, you oversee everything, from scheduling and maintaining fair play to ensuring the event runs smoothly.
Becoming an accredited official
Tennis Australia is the only authorised organisation that can accredit tennis officials in Australia. Becoming accredited is easy, and we're continuously welcoming new members to the officiating community. You need to be at least 15 years old, have a good general knowledge of tennis and:
- complete our Tennis Officiating Program on Bounce
- become a Tennis Australia Officiating Member
- gain your Accreditation
- continue to enhance your knowledge of officiating best practices and grow the game.
Why become an accredited Tennis Australia Official
Beyond contributing to expanding the sport you love, being an accredited Tennis Australia official allows you to enjoy the membership program benefits.
Exciting opportunities
It opens many exciting opportunities to work at tennis events across Australia, paving the way towards Australian Open.
Continuous development
Courses, workshops, resources and networking events to sharpen your knowledge, including access to our learning platform, Bounce.
Other membership benefits
Enjoy discounts from major retailers – New Balance, Oakley, Specsavers and more, plus access to our officiating member website and uniforms.