Eva Asderaki
Encyclopedia
Eva Asderaki is a Greek tennis chair umpire and one of only a few women to hold a Gold certification from the International Tennis Federation
; others are Mariana Alves
and Allison Lang.
Asderaki has been an umpire in all four Grand Slam
tournaments (Australian Open
, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) and various other tournaments such as the Davis Cup
, the Kremlin Cup
and the Rome tournaments.
She was also an umpire at the tennis event during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Notably, Asderaki umpired the final of the 2011 US Open
's women's singles
between Serena Williams
and Samantha Stosur
. Asderaki sparked controversy when she invoked the deliberate hindrance rule after Williams shouted out during a point, ruling that Williams's outburst was voluntary and may have distracted Stosur as she attempted to return Williams's shot and thus awarding the point to Stosur. Williams, irate, disputed the decision, which had cost her a service game early in the second set, and continued to berate Asderaki during changeovers throughout the rest of the match, which she ultimately lost. At the end of the match, Williams refused to shake Asderaki's hand and referred to the shot as a "winner" that "didn't count" in her post-match speech. The tournament referee later defended Asderaki, saying she made the correct call.
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
; others are Mariana Alves
Mariana Alves
Mariana Alves is a Portuguese Tennis Chair Umpire. She is one of only a few women who currently hold a Gold Badge in Chair Umpiring from the International Tennis Federation; others include Eva Asderaki , Lynn Welch , Kerrilyn Cramer and Alison Lang .- Career :In the 2004 US Open quarterfinal...
and Allison Lang.
Asderaki has been an umpire in all four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournaments (Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) and various other tournaments such as the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, the Kremlin Cup
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour...
and the Rome tournaments.
She was also an umpire at the tennis event during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Notably, Asderaki umpired the final of the 2011 US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
's women's singles
2011 US Open – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters was the two-time defending champion, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.Ninth seed Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam championship, defeating the favourite Serena Williams, a three-time US Open champion and the 28th seed, 6–2, 6–3 in the final...
between Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
. Asderaki sparked controversy when she invoked the deliberate hindrance rule after Williams shouted out during a point, ruling that Williams's outburst was voluntary and may have distracted Stosur as she attempted to return Williams's shot and thus awarding the point to Stosur. Williams, irate, disputed the decision, which had cost her a service game early in the second set, and continued to berate Asderaki during changeovers throughout the rest of the match, which she ultimately lost. At the end of the match, Williams refused to shake Asderaki's hand and referred to the shot as a "winner" that "didn't count" in her post-match speech. The tournament referee later defended Asderaki, saying she made the correct call.