Fergus Murphy is a veteran referee from Dublin, Ireland. He has entered the major stages of tennis. He started his grand slam career at 1995 and has been on the bench for some of the biggest and hottest matches in prestigious tennis tournaments. Writer Jack Martin caught up with him while he was in Montreal working on the show ATP visit.
How did you get into tennis umpiring?
“The Irish tennis scene is small but I was always at the Castleknock club in Dublin when I was young. 25 hours a day. I ended up on the committee where I met the referee association. I joined them while I was studying to be a lawyer at that time. I was writing to everyone trying to get some gaming experience. Little by little I put in bigger and bigger matches. In 95I said 'I'll do it for a year.' 29 years ago I still do it.”
What is the best thing about umpiring?
“There's a lot of traveling including removing. You get two summers a year. In Australia and Europe too USA. But in the end 20 years, we've had some of the best players to ever play the game. I put Federer first to finish, Murray first to finish, Nadal will finish soon and Djokovic we will see. Being involved in that golden age is a huge plus. I'm just there.”
“The best thing is adrenaline. You become an adrenaline junkie. He touches the match. Sometimes, you have to intervene. I'm used to being on edge and very nervous. But it's a good kind of feeling.”
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Have you built a relationship with the players?
“The referee code prevents us from being friends. We are friendly but maintain a professional distance. We use the same canteens as the players in tournaments but we don't stay with them to eat.”
What is your favorite competition?
“I would say Wimbledon. Not because of history and mystique. But because it is a club built in the suburbs. Although most of the time, I am in a purpose built environment. If you are going to Australia or In the US Open, both grounds were designed for large events. Wimbledon is all about that. Being able to go into the village and meet the local people is great.”
What can Irish tennis do to improve?
“When people meet me they say 'I never knew Irish tennis.' Some of the reasons are education. We don't have a top player to copy. Many parents will tell their children to focus on education rather than tennis. If we had Roger Federer, there would be a higher participation rate. It's like back in the day when we had Stephen Roche in the Tour de France, everyone was on the bike. I hope we will be lucky and have a good player.”
