Tennis: French umpire puts some juice into deuce

Kader Nouni, one of the world's best-known umpires. Photo / Nick Reed

An official has added a lot of colour — and a touch of Barry White — to the Heineken Open

The Heineken Open may have been missing some name players this week — but perhaps the most recognisable umpire in world tennis has been in Auckland.

Those men or women in the chair tend to be quite anonymous but French umpire Kader Nouni has caused quite a sensation over the past two weeks, with his distinctive voice — which is often compared to legendary crooner Barry White — standing out for local fans.

He's been corralled for numerous photos with spectators, as he makes his way back to the officials area after a game. Last week there were also two female fans who paid for corporate seats right behind his chair during the match, later asking if he could record voice mail messages on their phones.

"He's the only umpire I've ever seen who gets asked for autographs," says Heineken Open tournament director Karl Budge. "As far as umpires go he is pretty damn famous. There are even some Facebook fan pages. I guess he is just one of those blokes that is naturally cool."

"I've been at tournaments where there is a cheer when he is announced to the crowd," says New Zealander Sam Pearson, who worked as a communications manager on the WTA tour for almost a decade. "He is also very fan friendly. He'll learn enough of the local language — wherever he is — to be able to say the score and some other little things and that has a big impact."

Watching Nouni over the past two weeks, you can't deny his unmistakable presence in the chair. Most umpires tend to fade into the background, but not the 38-year-old. He often gesticulates in his dealings with the players and seems to be genuinely enjoying himself as he goes about his work. And when he is not working, he can be seen on the players' balcony, watching more games.

"He is as well known as an umpire is going to be," says Budge. "The voice helps — don't get me wrong — but it is his whole persona. When the music is going during breaks if you watch him you might see him dancing a little in the chair."

Nouni is strictly professional in his ATP guise — refusing any interviews this week due to ATP regulations — but has another side off the court. One of his party tricks is a slow motion "running man" dance and according to Budge he is often "the central figure" at the season-ending tennis parties.

But mostly it's about the voice. Once you have heard him say deuce, perhaps no other umpire will sound the same again.

"He is definitely more well known than some of the other umpires," says New Zealand No 1 Michael Venus. "I guess it is the whole Barry White thing. On court you do notice the voice, it's quite distinct and the first time he umpires your match you think ... wow, what's that?"

Nouni began umpiring in Perpignan and was quickly noticed. By the age of 16 he was a line judge at the French Open and since 2005 he has umpired on both the WTA and ATP tours. The 38-year-old has also been in the chair for the last two women's singles finals at Roland Garros.

But he has also had controversial moments. A line call against David Nalbandian at the 2012 Australian Open was particularly contentious — and led to the Argentine losing the match — and he denied the Bryan brothers on match point this week, when most of the stadium felt their opponents had hit the ball out in their first round match.