Longtime official Nancy Baty plays tournaments with an official's eye

Name a pro and Nancy Baty has probably presided over their match at some point in her officiating career. 

 

Agassi. Conners. Tsonga. McEnroe. Isner. 

 

Over the course of a career that saw her work 23 US Opens and countless other professional tournaments, Baty is an invaluable resource to the officials she mentors today. 

 

“Sometimes you get challenged and you know you’re right,” she says. “And that’s when it’s like ‘okay bring it on.’ Other times, you make the call that you think is right but it was pretty close, and you just don’t want to take a big gulp when the TV is on your face. You have to maintain that ‘soldier’ face with no emotion.”

Baty isn’t just an official though, as she also plays USTA NorCal tournaments and Adult Leagues. All of her experience as an official has been helpful in seeing the game, but it also presents its own challenges. Namely that usually no one on the court knows the rules better than Baty. 

 

“I have to really try to separate the two because a lot of players do not know the rules and it can be frustrating,” she explains. 

 

One of those rules is when a ball rolls onto the court between first and second serves. Many players think they get first serve. In reality, players only get a ‘let’ on first serve if they are already in the serving position. 

“I usually make a comment like ‘Oh, you’re being generous’,” she jokes. 

 

Nevertheless, Baty relaxes a bit more when she’s playing on an Adult Leagues team or in tournaments though, which she plays more for the camaraderie. 

 

“I try very hard not to assert myself about the rules and go with the flow, in most cases,” she says. 

 

Baty has judged and chaired at some of the biggest tournaments in the United States, having only recently let her ITF (International Tennis Federation) White Badge status run out. 

 

Today, Baty still officiates at various California collegiate and USTA matches and recently flew to Pennsylvania to work the Patriot League tournament at Lehigh University. 

 

“It’s been a good run,” Baty adds. “I've had good mentors along the way and that was key in my success and becoming a White Badge. You’re not going to do it on your own. I really like watching the people that I’ve helped and mentored pass me up.”

Interested in becoming an official? Click here for more information on how to become a USTA certified umpire and to learn about the different types of officiating roles.  Please contact Chris Wilson with any questions!