The tennis world is currently converging with the revered laws of Wimbledon! Naturally, all eyes are on Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, and their sequel match in the same stadium. But seated high above the court, eagle-eyed judges are ensuring the integrity of the sport and sometimes also become the center of attention with their split-second calls. Therefore, as the final match draws closer, let’s know more about the chair umpire at the men’s singles event this season, James Keothavong!

He has been around for the Big 3 era and this is not his first rodeo with Djokovic! However, Keothavong’s association with tennis, especially the Championships, dates way back to 1999. “I was 16 when I worked my first Wimbledon in 1999 as a line judge. I have worked every Wimbledon since then,” he once revealed.

If we look back to the final match at Wimbledon in 2014, we will find Keothavong sitting in his chair umpire position, observing closely the match between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the time.

As Djokovic won that match, Keothavong’s attention then went to the ladies singles final in 2016 as well as 2021. And in between, he made his calls during the 2018 Wimbledon championships as well, where we all saw Novak Djokovic once again win his fourth title at the event. But that’s not all.

The Brit had also held the position of chair umpire in the men’s (2010) and women’s doubles (2009) and one mixed doubles (2009) games too! But among all this, one particular final event remained embedded in James Keothavong’s mind forever. “My first Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final in 2014 (Federer v Djokovic) was special,” he once said in an interview. 

Apart from that, the 2017 Australian Open final match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is also his favorite. Known as “royalty” in the tennis community, he holds an International Gold Badge in his profession!

With over two decades of experience, Keothavong has made his calls in 75 Grand Slam events in total. His interest in tennis began as a kid, but one will never find him with a racquet. The reason is he would rather watch and officiate than play himself. 

“I was ranked in the top 10 nationally at U16 level but realized I did not have the ability to make it all the way as a player – so I followed a different calling.” Thus began his journey as a line judge.

Besides his career as a chair umpire, Keothavong is also a founder member of the Towers Health and Racquet’s Club. It promotes the healthy wellbeing of athletes and has already crossed its fifth year! Nonetheless, more often one will find Keothavong in a tennis court. The reasons are many, and he stated quite a few of them in the same interview.

James Keothavong shares the “perks” and the challenging parts of his job

Growing up with his family of six, James Keothavong did not pursue a tennis career, but his younger sister, Anne did! She even reached the British No. 1 position in her 13 years of career. On the other hand, Keothavong loved to watch the game from afar. Besides, it also made his wish of traveling around the world come true. 

“One of the biggest perks is traveling and getting to see the world. Meeting new people and experiencing different cultures has helped shape me into the person I am today. I work alongside some of the best athletes in the world, in a sport I love – which is extremely rewarding,” he said. Nonetheless, the demanding nature of the job troubled him from time to time.

“Umpiring a Davis Cup doubles match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, which ended 24/22 in the 5th set.  Total duration was 7 hours and 1 minute.  Needless to say, my concentration levels were tested and my legs were pretty stiff afterwards!”

However, with its pros and cons, James Keothavong is committed to his profession. And as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s match begins at Wimbledon, hopefully we will get to see him make his fair decisions as always.