This month’s blog comes from ITF Certified Bronze Badge Official Matthew Davies, of Livingston Scotland, who is embarking on a three week trip to Sweden for futures events.
Blog 2
It’s been an eventful week for ITF bronze badge Matthew Davies as his travels take him to the coastal town of Bastad located in a sheltered bay on the west of Sweden.
It’s been freezing this week, we've had to wear 5 or 6 layers in the chair just to try and stay warm. Also because it’s clay the surface can sustain rain so we've had to sit out in it for quite a while.
Adapting to the elements is hard on players and umpires. Keeping your focus with changing conditions can be tough but part of umpiring is that you are able to cope with whatever weather the day delivers.
My men’s semi final lasted 3 and a half hours and the wind was so strong that one of the players served a couple of points underarm. Although it’s unusual it is perfectly within the rules and doesn’t really bring any advantages.
Bob is a great golfer and a keen all round sportsman so a week for the great Scot is never complete without some kind of extra curriculum exercise.
We had the day off on Sunday and went on a bike ride which was a great laugh. We hired some bikes from the hotel but got bored of being on the roads so took them off road and into the forest. However the bikes really were not intended for off road travel so it got a bit awkward and then we ended up stranded on a beach.
It seems that Bastad which is known for hosting the ATP tournament, the Swedish Open, is traditionally a summer destination, which means that many of the establishments are still closed. Bob describes his evening activities.
We are literally eating in the same 3 places all the time. Just rotating between the three which although is funny is getting a bit repetitive.
After his weeks away the young man of Livingston will be looking forward to his mum’s home cooking.
Matthew will be celebrating his 30th birthday this year just days before officiating at his 13th Wimbledon Championship. Keep an eye out for him this summer season.
Blog 1
Matthew started officiating in 1999 and appeared at Wimbledon for the first time in the millennium year as a young 18 year-old ready to take on the world. Very early on in his officiating career Matthew was awarded the nickname ‘Bob’ by some of his newly acquired umpire friends and to this day he is known as ‘Bob’ in officiating circles worldwide.
The first week of Bob’s three week journey is in the old naval town of Karlskrona, located at the southern tip of Sweden, on the Baltic Sea.
The tournament is run by people working in the tennis club so it has a great local feel to it.
The surface this week for the Livingston lad is lush red clay and Davies was keen to share his experiences with us so far.
In clay court tournaments abroad there are fewer officials so we work without line umpires. The fact that the ball leaves a mark on the clay court also means you have to use different umpiring techniques than when working on a hard court or grass court. I have worked very little on clay so it is a little harder for me to adjust than the guys who work regularly on clay. I am hoping that after working for three weeks in a row my clay court umpiring will have improved considerably.
The 29 year-old, who is a keen tennis player himself and regularly represents Livingston in league matches, has had time after matches to get on the courts and have a hit about.
It’s been good this week as we have finished early enough that there is still time for me and some of the other officials to have a hit. I’ve never played on courts like these and am really enjoying getting a chance to experience the surface.
With the early finishes Bob explained that there has been lots of time for socialising this week.
We’ve been out for dinner most nights with the other officials. It’s good to get the chance to all eat together and it’s created a good team spirit. One night I was making an effort to order in Swedish, unfortunately when the meals arrived mine was a lot smaller then the others. I asked the waitress what was happening and it turned out I’d accidently ordered a starter instead of the main that I wanted. So much for making the effort!
Next stop on Bob’s tour of Sweden is Bastad, safe travels and keep up the Swedish!