Eva Asderaki
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Eva Asderaki (born 27 January 1982) is a Greek tennis chair umpire and one of only a few women to hold a Gold certification from the International Tennis Federation;[1] others are Mariana Alves and Allison Lang.
Asderaki has been an umpire in all four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon,[2] US Open) and various other tournaments such as the Davis Cup,[3] the Kremlin Cup and the Rome tournaments.
She was also an umpire at the tennis event during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[1]
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.[4] The tournament referee later defended Asderaki, saying she made the correct call.[5]
References
- ^ a b "2008 Olympic Tennis Event Media Guide" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. p. 11. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ Battersby, Kate (3 July 2008). "Serena sets up all-Williams final". Wimbledon 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ "Federer wins in straight sets, Swiss lead 2-0". USA Today. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ Garber, Greg (11 September 2011). "Serena Williams loses cool, then match". ESPN. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3 In US Open Final". The Huffington Post. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.