July 3, 2024
HANOI — Two Vietnamese umpires will work at Wimbledon, which begins today in London, England.
It will be the first time that tennis officials of Việt Nam have been assigned to officiate at one of four Grand Slam events.
They are Phạm Trung Hiếu, Việt Nam Tennis Federation’s head of Referee Council and his deputy Võ Huỳnh Nhân. Both of them are International Tennis Federation’s white badge umpires.
According to Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, the VTF General Secretary, ITF allows the selection of up to two umpires from each country. The world tennis governing body’s selection is in recognition of Việt Nam’s umpire quality. It is also a good opportunity for the umpires to improve their professionalism.
“They will learn a lot from international elite tournaments. Their experience will help Việt Nam organise international events and will passed on to local umpires to improve their level,” Sơn said.
Wimbledon will see the world strongest tennis players competing in singles and doubles categories until July 14. A huge prize pot of US$64 million will be given away at the championship, with winners walking away with $3.45 million, about $450,000 more than in 2023. – VNS