Following the players, tennis officials of the country have followed suit and formed a body of their own. Tennis Officials India has been formed as a welfare body for the umpires and referees involved at various levels in Indian tennis, informed Nitin Kannamwar, one of the most accomplished tennis referees in the country.
“We are all set to register the body next week. It has been launched with the objective to showcase, highlight and promote Indian officials,” said Kannamwar, who is also the president of TOI. “Officiating in tennis is now a viable career and the need to have a body of our own came from the urge to unite all the referees and umpires under one umbrella,” he added. “Our senior members will evaluate the performance of the umpires at various events and guide them on the laws and news developments in the sport,” said Kannamwar. “We have started an exchange programme with Thailand and will have a white-badge umpire from the country joining our officials,” he said.