Former tennis umpire shares stories from her time at Wimbledon

A long and distinguished career on Centre Court has been brought to life through personal memories, behind-the-scenes stories and a wardrobe full of memories.

At the Wargrave Local History Society’s May meeting, member Julia Freeman spoke about her time as a tennis umpire at Wimbledon and on the international circuit.

Her talk was accompanied by photographs and a display of the official uniforms she wore during her career on the courts.

Mrs Freeman explained how she applied to the Lawn Tennis Association for umpire training after returning to England from living in Bangkok, and qualified in 1992.

She began umpiring at Wimbledon two years later and went on to work at tournaments around the world.

Julia, (on the far left of the back row) at her first Wimbledon in 1994 (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

Her talk included reflections on the practical ‘dull green’ umpire uniforms, which were replaced every five years.

Mrs Freeman also shared stories of some of the iconic matches and players she witnessed up close.

She said that in 2001 she was selected to officiate at the Ladies’ Final.

However, due to weather delays, her team was instead called onto Centre Court for the Men’s Semi-Final between Tim Henman and Goran Ivanišević.

Recalling the match, Mrs Freeman said Mr Henman did not like her call against him.

Julia can be seen in typical line judge pose wearing the style of outfit introduced in 1996 as Tim Henman is playing on Centre Court in 1999 (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

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When the Ladies’ Final was played the following day, she was once again on duty.

Julia with the team of umpires lined up (third from the left) at the presentation of the trophy to Venus Williams at the 2001 Wimbledon Ladies’ final (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

Her team took to the court when the score stood at 4–3 in the second set after Justine Henin began to stage a comeback against Venus Williams.

Williams eventually won the title, and Mrs Freeman’s team of umpires joined her at the net for the trophy presentation.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Wimbledon in 2010. Julia was umpiring on an outside court but captured a photograph of the event during a break (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

She was later selected to umpire the Men’s Singles Final featuring Andy Roddick and Roger Federer, whom she described as one of her favourite players.

Julia (left) at the 2011 Men’s Singles Final, in which Novak Djokovic (right) beat Rafael Nadal (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

Changes in uniform and traditions formed part of her presentation, including the switch from the ‘silent green army’ to Ralph Lauren’s blue blazers and white canvas shoes—although she noted the shoes were known for causing blisters.

The umpires uniform designed by Ralph Lauren, which was changed from the traditional green to a dark shade of blue. (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

Mrs Freeman’s umpiring career also took her abroad, with assignments in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Spain and in New Zealand for 18 years.

‘The Warwinka Incident’ at Wimbledon in 2019 – The Swiss player, Stan Wawrinka, liked to stand right back on the court, and had a huge back swing. His racket caught Julia on the back – she remembers with fondness the sweaty hug they shared! (Image: Wargrave Local History Society/Julia Freeman)

She spoke about the difficulty of travelling with so many uniform items and limited baggage allowances.

From 2025, veteran umpires like Mrs Freeman were replaced by an electronic calling system.

For more information about the society, visit the Wargrave Local History Society’s website.

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