The line umpire "calls all shots relating to the assigned lines." Line umpires work on court as part of a team of between one and nine line umpires. Each line umpire is assigned by the chair umpire to one line or, in the case of a short-handed crew, a position in a system. For example, a line umpire on the receiver's side may have to cover the center service line then, following the serve, move to one of the sidelines. Line umpires are a requirement for professional tennis games.
The line umpire signals a ball out by making a verbal "fault" call followed by the extension of the arm shoulder high in the direction the ball was out. A ball is signaled "safe" or "good" by holding both hands together knee high in front of the body. A line umpire who is unsighted and thus unable to call a shot (usually because a player obstructs his/her view) signals this by holding his/her hands beside his/her head, the upper side pointing in the same directing as the eyes; that call is then the chair umpire's responsibility.
Read more about this topic: Official (tennis)
Famous quotes containing the word line:
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