It’s a short walk for line judge Andy McFarlane from his Norcross home to the Racquet Club of the South. For chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, the trek to this year’s Atlanta Tennis Championships involved quite a bit more travel time, as he made his way from Malaga, Spain, to Norcross.
An entire ocean separates McFarlane’s and Lahyani’s residences. But this week, they have worked on the same set of tennis courts, as part of a 45-person ATC officiating crew.
While Lahyani brings international flavor and Wimbledon experience to the chair, McFarlane adds a feel of familiarity to the line. This combination is a fitting one, reflecting the tournament’s international draw of players this year.
Lahyani’s officiating days began nearly 25 years ago when he lived in Sweden. He received his white badge in 1991, his first major level of certification.
“People told me, ‘You have something special, you should continue with this,’” Lahyani said. “I got a lot of compliments.”
Lahyani received his bronze badge in 1991 and that same year, he served as a line judge at Wimbledon.
“The players want to win Wimbledon,” Lahyani said of the tournament’s world-class atmosphere. “It’s high-class, and it has history.”
Last year, Lahyani was the chair umpire for all of the match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, which lasted 11 hours and five minutes. That experience, in particular, sticks out in Lahyani’s mind.
“When you walk on the court, you feel pressure, and you feel something special when you do the match,” Lahyani said.
Even after 19 years of officiating at Wimbledon and other tournaments across the world, that feeling still remains. After receiving his gold badge in 1997, Lahyani became a full-time official for the ATP. Now, he’s on the road at tournaments for 25 to 30 weeks a year.
For Lahyani, officiating was a learning process. As he moved through the levels of certification — from white to bronze to silver to gold — he was able to learn technique and develop the necessary confidence.
“I think it’s a very good help to be in the line, feel the pressure of those big matches before you step up to be a chair umpire,” Lahyani said.
More than a decade after Lahyani began his career, McFarlane got his first taste of officiating. When McFarlane moved to Atlanta in 1994, he picked up tennis.
In 2000, he was certified. After three years of officiating, McFarlane became a line judge at the U.S. Open. He worked that tournament each year until 2007. While McFarlane has served as chair umpire in a number of collegiate matches, he remains solely a line judge for larger tournaments.
But for McFarlane, a precise eye is needed no matter where he stands on the court.
“You can’t be a spectator when you’re working. You have to pay attention and get to your line when you have to,” McFarlane said of the job. “But it’s a lot of fun.”
For Lahyani and McFarlane, each new tournament is the perfect combination of new and familiar, comfortable and thrilling. Plus, they have the best seat in the house.
“It’s great because you’re part of the match,” McFarlane said. “You’re right on the court.”
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