Kader Nouni

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Kader Nouni
Kader Nouni 2022 cropped.jpg
Nouni at the 2022 Transylvania Open
Born (1976-02-23) 23 February 1976 (age 48)
Perpignan, France
OccupationTennis umpire
Years active2005–present
Spouse
Melanie Conesa
​
(m. 2010)​
Children2

Kader Nouni (born 23 February 1976) is a French tennis umpire. He works primarily for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and has officiated six major finals. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) certified him as a gold badge umpire in 2007. Known for his baritone voice, Nouni is sometimes called the "Barry White of tennis".

Contents

Early life

Nouni was born to Algerian-French immigrants on 23 February 1976. [1] [2] He grew up in the Haut Vernet quarter of Perpignan, in southern France. [3] [4] Nouni and his older brother were raised in public housing by a single mother after his father died when he was two. [4] [5]

Nouni and his brother took up tennis in the wake of Frenchman Yannick Noah's victory at the 1983 French Open. [4] Costs associated with tennis (lessons, court rental, etc.) meant Nouni needed to work from a young age; by age nine, he strung rackets, swept the court lines, and did other jobs at a local tennis club. [4] [5] Local tournaments hired him to officiate adult matches from age 12. [5] Nouni recalled that despite his youth, early on he got positive feedback from players for his umpiring skills. [4] Nouni developed his trademark deep voice by his mid-teens; he recalled an incident when a girlfriend's father did not believe that he was only sixteen because of his voice over the phone. [5]

Career

As a 16-year-old, Nouni got his first major umpiring experience as a line judge at the 1992 French Open, after having been recognized for good officiating at a junior tennis event held the previous year at the Roland Garros stadium complex in Paris. [4] [5] Before dedicating himself to officiating, Nouni briefly studied sociology at the university level. [4]

Nouni worked his way as a chair umpire from qualifying competitions, to the main draws of WTA and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) events, to Grand Slams. [6] He became a full-time umpire in 2005; in off-seasons past, Nouni sometimes supplemented his income by working in bars in his hometown of Perpignan. [1] [4] He earned ITF accreditation over time: his white badge (Level 2) in 1998, bronze badge (Level 3) in 2002, silver badge in 2004, and gold badge (highest level) in 2007. [4] He joined the WTA Tour exclusively in 2008, but still sometimes officiates men's matches at Grand Slams. [2] [4]

Nouni has umpired five women's singles finals at the French Open: in 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2021. Outside of Roland Garros, the only other major final he has officiated was the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. [5] [4] His other high-profile matches on the WTA Tour include presiding over four season-ending WTA Finals finals. [4]

Nouni has been involved in several notable moments of controversy. [5] At the 2012 Australian Open, after Nouni overruled a line judge to award John Isner an ace and declined to allow a late Hawk-Eye challenge, David Nalbandian argued at length with Nouni and said postmatch that the umpire had mismanaged that moment. [5] [7] [8] At the 2015 French Open, Victoria Azarenka thought she had saved a set point after a miss by Serena Williams, but because a line judge made a late incorrect call on Azarenka's previous shot, Nouni had the players replay the point (instead of awarding it to Azarenka outright). [9] At the 2023 French Open, Nouni missed a double bounce on Holger Rune's side and then penalised Francisco Cerúndolo for stopping mid-court as a ball kid began to run on, also thinking the point was over. [10]

Recognition

Nouni's deep baritone voice, fashion sense, and personality have helped make him one of the most famous tennis umpires today. [2] [5] [6] [11] [12] The Guardian writes, "With his smoky tones, he's been praised for having the best voice in tennis". [11] Other sources describe his tone as "honeyed", "resonant and melodic", "seductive", and "soothing", and note his thick French accent. [5] [6] [12] [13] Nouni's pronunciation of "deuce" is especially striking to some fans. [6] [13] John McEnroe once joked, "[Nouni]'s got the great voice, I'll give him that ... He's an argument for smoking cigarettes if you're an umpire". [6] Nouni used to worry that his voice could distract from his job, noting "We always say that a good official is someone that we don't talk about", but has since come to appreciate the fan interest. [5] [6] Because of his deep voice, he is sometimes referred to as the "Barry White of tennis". [5] [6] [12] [13]

Personal life

Nouni met his wife, Melanie Conesa, in 2010. They have two children. [4] As of 2018, when Nouni is not traveling, he lives with his family in Perpignan. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Gomes, Alaric (22 February 2018). "Birthday boy Nouni holds court". Gulf News . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Guillou, Damien (27 October 2014). "Kader Nouni: arbitrage chic" [Kader Nouni: Elegant umpiring]. leshardis.com (in French). Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Dubuis, Eric (13 June 2013). "Nouni: 20 années de 'Roland'" [Nouni: 20 years of 'Roland']. L'Indépendant (in French). Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Chiesa, Victoria (19 July 2020). "Interview with an umpire: Kader Nouni turns youth hobby into career". wtatennis.com. Women's Tennis Association . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Jiménez, Jesus (8 September 2022). "The Tennis Umpire With the Velvet Voice Makes His Call". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tennis: The Barry White of tennis holds court with voice". The New Zealand Herald . 6 January 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Ransom, Ian (18 January 2012). "Angry Nalbandian blasts referee after Isner loss". Reuters . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Rothenberg, Ben (20 January 2012). "Nalbandian Is Fined Following Overrule Controversy". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 23 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Clarey, Christopher (30 May 2015). "Sparks and Words Fly as Serena Williams Upends a Rival". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Quarrell, Dan (5 June 2023). "French Open: Holger Rune in Double-Bounce Controversy – 'The Umpire Has Made a Huge Mistake'". Eurosport . Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 Elan, Priya (7 July 2016). "Game, set and match – Wimbledon's most stylish man". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Sabur, Rozina; Sawer, Patrick (13 July 2017). "'Barry White of tennis': Umpire with soothing voice melts hearts at Wimbledon". The Telegraph . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 Galvin, Nick (25 January 2016). "Australian Open 2016: Umpire Kader Nouni the 'Barry White of Tennis'". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
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