Brazilian referee Carlos Bernardes officiated his last match last Sunday at the ATP Finals between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz.
He ends a career of more than thirty years. Bernardes recalls: “My first experience with tennis was during my childhood in Brazil.
We used to jump over the fence at the local club to play, until we finally signed up. »
In 1984, he began coaching, but quickly found his way into refereeing as a linesman, during a regional Billie Jean King Cup match in São Paulo.
Combining coaching and refereeing in South America, his success came in 1992 when he joined the ATP as a chair umpire.
The Brazilian says: “I started with tournaments in South America, then I was assigned to the United States. I remember one of the first tournaments in San José in 1996.
There were Sampras, Agassi and Chang. Sampras was number 1. It was incredible. I went from playing tennis in the streets of Brazil, to refereeing Sampras and Agassi. »
He will have refereed more than 8,000 matches and declares: “It is the people I have met who stand out the most. We are away from home for half our lives, so we become attached to people and places. This year, the fans came to see me, it was wonderful. »
Canada
