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She`s making a noise without the racket: The Indian Express
Mumbai, Oct 04: Indians making waves on the tennis scene isn`t anything new. But Reetu Sethi will make waves next January when she becomes the first Indian woman to officiate at a Grand Slam event: The 24-year-old Mumbaiite will be an umpire at the Australian Open.
Mumbai, Oct 04: Indians making waves on the tennis scene isn’t anything new. But Reetu Sethi will make waves next January when she becomes the first Indian woman to officiate at a Grand Slam event: The 24-year-old Mumbaiite will be an umpire at the Australian Open.
Speaking to The Indian Express a few days before her wedding on Friday, Reetu said she’d already received the best wedding gift when the International Tennis Federation confirmed that she would be officiating at the Australian Open. She had been applying to all the Grand Slams for the past two years but it was only recently, while she was checking her mail at the office of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), that she got the good news. ‘‘I screamed in the office. Everybody started looking at me. I was just speechless. It was a dream come true,’’ recalls Reetu.
Reetu was among the top junior players in the country when she decided to quit tennis in 1998. ‘‘Those days we had only one women’s ITF tournament in India and the Nationals; with my own money, and some help from the MSLTA, I would travel to various Asian countries to pick up important ITF points. Eventually it became too expensive,’’ she says.
But her love of the game kept her on; ‘‘I thought becoming umpire would be a great idea.’’
Target set, Reetu soon started officiating in matches at the MSLTA as a non-certified umpire before clearing the ITF’s Level I exams. ‘‘I got the chance to cover lots of domestic and ITF matches; I was also evaluated by top officials, which came in handy when applying for the umpire’s White badge,’’ Reetu says.
In between, she started teaching children with hearing disabilities — she is also an instructor in western dance — at a learning centre in Mumbai’s King George Hospital after obtaining a diploma from Sophia College. ‘‘I realised that very few people were willing to work with such kids’’, she says, and continues her work whenever her assignments permit.
Indeed, she has a packed schedule, officiating in various countries on the ITF Circuit and at Satellite, Challengers, ATP and WTA events. It’s an experience which, she says, has changed her. ‘‘I’ve become mentally tough, forthcoming and very patient by dealing with various types of players,’’ she says.One of her nigegst challenges was in controlling male players who would refuse to be dictated to by a female umpire. ‘‘They try to intimidate you and behave vary rude. But once you stick to your decisions and show that you know your business, they gradually realise there’s no point messing with you.’’
Speaking to The Indian Express a few days before her wedding on Friday, Reetu said she’d already received the best wedding gift when the International Tennis Federation confirmed that she would be officiating at the Australian Open. She had been applying to all the Grand Slams for the past two years but it was only recently, while she was checking her mail at the office of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), that she got the good news. ‘‘I screamed in the office. Everybody started looking at me. I was just speechless. It was a dream come true,’’ recalls Reetu.
Reetu was among the top junior players in the country when she decided to quit tennis in 1998. ‘‘Those days we had only one women’s ITF tournament in India and the Nationals; with my own money, and some help from the MSLTA, I would travel to various Asian countries to pick up important ITF points. Eventually it became too expensive,’’ she says.
But her love of the game kept her on; ‘‘I thought becoming umpire would be a great idea.’’
Target set, Reetu soon started officiating in matches at the MSLTA as a non-certified umpire before clearing the ITF’s Level I exams. ‘‘I got the chance to cover lots of domestic and ITF matches; I was also evaluated by top officials, which came in handy when applying for the umpire’s White badge,’’ Reetu says.
In between, she started teaching children with hearing disabilities — she is also an instructor in western dance — at a learning centre in Mumbai’s King George Hospital after obtaining a diploma from Sophia College. ‘‘I realised that very few people were willing to work with such kids’’, she says, and continues her work whenever her assignments permit.
Indeed, she has a packed schedule, officiating in various countries on the ITF Circuit and at Satellite, Challengers, ATP and WTA events. It’s an experience which, she says, has changed her. ‘‘I’ve become mentally tough, forthcoming and very patient by dealing with various types of players,’’ she says.One of her nigegst challenges was in controlling male players who would refuse to be dictated to by a female umpire. ‘‘They try to intimidate you and behave vary rude. But once you stick to your decisions and show that you know your business, they gradually realise there’s no point messing with you.’’