Scotty Moore: From his start as a high school official to his seat in the US Open chair

It was 2022 and Scotty Moore was ready to walk out onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court to chair his first US Open final.

An experienced official gave him just three words of advice: “Don’t look up.”

For even veterans of thousands of chaired matches, entering a venue where up to 22,000 fans are looking down and hearing your every word, the experience can be nerve-racking.

“It's definitely, despite maybe my first chair back in 2013, probably the most nervous I've been on a tennis court. You get through the warm-up, you get through the first game and then you start to relax. It all becomes just muscle memory.”

Last year he chaired his second US Open final, the women’s doubles. Just like when he officiated the 2022 mixed doubles final, he received national recognition during the televised trophy presentation.

Started in high school

Growing up in North Carolina, Moore, 29, caught the officiating bug in high school. “I needed some service hours, so I volunteered at a tournament, and I really liked how the tournament ran.”

For last week’s interview, Moore was in Sumter, S.C. That’s where he took his first line umpire clinic with former USTA Southern volunteer Meg Farrelly in 2013. “I stepped on the court at a women's $10K in Sumter and it was like the best thing I've ever done.”

After college, he moved to South Carolina and, as he became more experienced, he began chairing up to 250 matches per year. He also served two terms volunteering on USTA Officials Committees at the state, sectional and national levels.

While many new officials often move up the officiating ranks slowly, Moore was in a chair within months of certification. He was still in school at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington when he took a major career step by going to Mexico to take the test for the first rung of professional chairing. “I think I was the youngest in the class” when earning a white badge.