There are two types of umpires - chair umpires and line umpires.

The senior umpire sits in a tall chair at one end of the net. He calls the score and can overrule the line umpires.

They sit outside the court looking down all the court lines. It's their job to decide whether the ball is in or out.

There are also referees who work behind the scenes liaising with players and organising things such as the draw and order of play.

During matches, referees also make decisions on issues of tennis law, although they can't get involved in points of fact. Chair umpires always have the final say regarding what they see during play.

Most people start out on line umpire duties but with time you can get involved in all three strands - although not at the same time of course!

The worst part about being an umpire is realising you've made a mistake.

Hold your ground!

You have to make decisions in split seconds so you have to go with what you see. Inevitably mistakes are made.

And when there's a lot of money and ranking points at stake, it's only natural for players to query a decision they think is wrong.

You have to hold your ground and the louder and more confident you are, the more likely it is the player will stand down.

There's also a code of conduct players must follow.

It means that if they're being particularly difficult or refusing to play on, they risk having points deducted.

It's a way of protecting the opponents of players who are being difficult and enabling umpires to move the game on.

When you're starting out you'll probably be racked by self-doubt. I know I was!

But the more experienced you are the better you'll be able to handle tricky situations.

And as long as you're good at your job and honest with it, you'll earn the respect of the players.

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