Tom Barnes & Thomas Karlberg

Name them the odd couple of ATP Officiating: Tom Barnes, the poker-faced former marine who would maintain his personal in a stare down with Clint Eastwood, and Thomas Karlberg, the mild-mannered softly spoken Swede. The career-long buddies and colleagues had been each honoured for his or her lifetime of service in December as a part of the ATP Officiating division’s year-end conferences in Ponte Vedra Seashore, Florida.

Barnes, who lives in Fresno, California, labored his final occasion on the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. Karlberg stepped away after officiating in Basel in October this 12 months.

At first look, they appear as completely different as topspin and slice. However peel again the floor layer and also you’ll discover an underlying dichotomy that connects them.

“Tom is a really, excellent good friend,” Karlberg mentioned. “He could scare most people round him, however that is simply on the floor. Should you look below his pores and skin just a little bit he’s a golden-hearted particular person and really enjoyable to be round.”

Equally, Barnes mentioned that first impressions of the genial Karlberg don’t paint the total image. “He’s most likely the strongest one out of all of us although he doesn’t look or act like he’s,” Barnes mentioned. “He’s a really robust character, essential thinker, pleasant man and good to be round.”

Barnes’ profession has spanned the delivery of the ATP Tour in 1990 by way of to its latest occasions, together with the Intesa Sanpaolo Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. Photograph: Getty Photographs.

Barnes labored his first occasion in Guam in 1990 and accomplished his event report on three laminated items of paper. Identified by many as ‘Baaaaarnes‘ after being given the moniker by former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert, the Californian mentioned that over time he bonded with among the sport’s extra prickly gamers.

“I are likely to get alongside higher with the troublesome gamers than the not-so-difficult gamers,” he mentioned. “Why, I don’t know. Possibly it’s due to my marine corps background. It’s all private relationships.

“We’ve got one purpose in thoughts and that is to supply good tennis. The Supervisor is accountable for the whole lot and is the ultimate authority on web site. Essentially the most difficult a part of the job is to maintain the whole lot in steadiness and make judgments when it’s necessary. I at all times attempt to take into account what’s greatest for the event, gamers, and spectators.”

Karlberg was a Supervisor for the Males’s Worldwide Skilled Tennis Council and Match Director of the Bastad ATP occasion earlier than becoming a member of ATP in 1991, the 12 months after the Tour was fashioned. Having labored alongside 1000’s of gamers from Jimmy Connors to Pete Sampras to Carlos Alcaraz, Karlberg mentioned that to protect impartiality he can be pleasant to gamers, however wouldn’t search to change into their buddies.

“It’s like a circus with everybody travelling round, gamers, coaches, officers, and everybody else, so it’s inevitable that you just develop relationships, however it’s a must to be clear the place the road is,” Karlberg mentioned. “In fact we could have pleasant conversations with gamers and their groups, however we wouldn’t exit for breakfast or dinner.”

“Each Supervisor and Chair Umpire at the moment working for ATP has been mentored by Tom and Thomas,” mentioned Ali Nili, ATP Senior Director, Officiating Administration. “They’re an establishment in Officiating and there’ll by no means be one other Tom Barnes or Thomas Karlberg. They are going to be actually missed, however their legacy will dwell eternally.”

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Whereas components of the job have advanced by way of the continued development of know-how, Barnes mentioned that the important thing high quality he seems for in good Supervisors has not modified in his 30 years within the job.

“Frequent sense is the primary factor,” he mentioned. “We always should make selections and a few of them are fairly vital, like defaulting a man. You may simply make the flawed selection in both course. It’s important to have a mindset that may take a look at incidents and shut out all the opposite noise and take into consideration what the state of affairs deserves.

“Essentially the most difficult factor is to maintain the whole lot in steadiness and make judgments when it’s necessary. All the time attempt to take into account what’s greatest for the event, gamers, and spectators.”

Karlberg added: “Understanding the best way to take care of folks can also be crucial. To be calm when one thing goes flawed, to take heed to different folks, present respect to the gamers and the folks you’re employed with.

“And there’s no substitute for having full information of the principles. Once you’re known as out on courtroom within the warmth of the second with 1000’s of spectators wanting on, you’ll be able to’t attain for the rulebook.”

Thomas Karlberg sends Rafael Nadal again to the locker room throughout a rain delay on the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photograph: Getty Photographs

Each males have been privileged to take a seat courtside for 1000’s of matches, watching the sport’s best champions up shut. However they don’t view matches in the identical method as followers.

“It’s a good perk of the job, however I don’t watch tennis like my spouse does,” Barnes mentioned. “I’m it from a technical standpoint and not likely from the creative stage. I’m ensuring the ballkids are doing what they’re imagined to do, linespeople, chair umpire are doing issues appropriately and the gamers aren’t misbehaving.”

With each males spending a long time on the highway away from their households and houses, Karlberg and Barnes paid tribute to their wives, Eva and Debbie, for the sacrifices they made that allowed them to pursue their careers with the ATP.

“I didn’t realise once I began this job what my life would change into,” Karlberg mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘Okay, I’ll strive that’. Now I’ve had greater than 30 years with the ATP. My spouse has at all times supported me to do that; she realised I actually beloved to work in tennis. I thank her very a lot. I realise that she has finished a hell of job elevating three children and dealing on the similar time. I’ve her to thank.”

Barnes mentioned of his spouse, Debbie: “She’s my rock. We made the choice collectively that I might pursue this as a full-time profession. I did it just a little later in life, our son was already off in school so no younger ones at residence to fret about, which can have made it just a little simpler.”

Each males are additionally grateful for the friendships they made on the Tour, in what Roger Federer as soon as known as his “second household”.

“The relationships that I’ve developed, the chums that I’ve made is one thing I’ll at all times treasure,” Karlberg mentioned.

Barnes added: “With my colleagues, everybody, travelling and seeing completely different international locations and assembly completely different folks, I realized loads from that. It’s like we dwell collectively; in lots of circumstances guys spend extra time with one another than their very own household, particularly to start with once you work 30 weeks in a 12 months.”

Now each males can take pleasure in loads of household time at residence.

from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/xd95IZ2