ATP: Cedric Mourier says goodbye to the referee chair

Cedric Mourier, one of the most famous Umpires on the ATP tour, will retire from his position as chair referee. And from now on they will look one floor up.

Will tournament directors also give top referees fresh Kaiserschmarren? Cedric Mourier may find out next year. In 2017, Alexander Antonitsch had given the Frenchman a hot pan with the alpine classic in Kitzbühel after the final, just a few seconds after the match point.

The 48-year-old Mourier will no longer be climbing the same as of the coming season. Rather, he will concentrate on the role of supervisor and referee, exclusively. Mourier has already gained experience in this respect during the current season.

As one of the best known referees on the ATP Tour, Cedric Mourier has led several Grand Slam finals, including the Roland Garros finals in 2001 (with winner Gustavo Kuerten) and 2004 (with champion Gaston Gaudio). There followed two further appearances as final referee at both French Open, both times with Rafael Nadal as winner (2006 against Roger Federer and 2013 against David Ferrer).

This week Mourier was in action at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy. And in Karen Khachanov’s surprising final win over Novak Djokovic, he had the best seat: in the referee’s chair.