“Arbitrate Rafa Nadal made me very nervous”

JAUME CAMPISTOL37 years, he retired last year from professional arbitration after 15 periods to the elite, since it mainly ITF of VIC of 2009 in the final of Billie Jean King Cup of 2024. Since 2017 he has been arbitrated with a category of gold, the maximum in the world of tennis. The Catalan Chair judge has arrested 2,318 professional matches, exactly the figure because I recorded it in his personal archive.

In your curriculum they appear Four Olympics and Seven Grand Slass FinalsTwo individuals in the US Open’2020 (Osaka-Azanka) and the Australia’2024 Open (Sabalenka-Zheng).

Four Olympic games?

The great ‘highlight’, very special, is not just because of the fact that they are every four years, but because of the environment that breathes the city during competitions, it is amazing. As a sports enthusiast, this is something that is worthless.

Why did you decide to become a referee?

I am a partner of RCT Barcelona. I did the referee’s course, I started to arbitrate on the weekend, I started making money, to go abroad and I saw it was a good way to live: traveling and seeing tennis, which was my desire.

When did you feel fully satisfied?

When they choose you for important tournaments, this is a sign that you are doing a good job. In a game you enjoy when you are not the opponent, especially in complex games, with some tension. That the party has passed in an optimal way. And, above all, when arbitrating some final or an important party. When you start having a game or an important player in a grand slam, you said: ‘Oysters, it’s serious, they trust me and I have to live!’

The best detail?

Many moments have been filled with me a lot, such as when a player apologizes after the game for a traced situation. Jaume is not an easy name to be announced for foreigners and I am excited when a player called me, as Peter Cachín did to Brazil. They do not know this if they are not one of the most referees of the media. In the Paris games I told my bosses that I left the arbitration, after I went to the track and started to cry in the chair, fortunately it was an outer track and brought the sunsets. I also remember an exciting moment at the final Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga, when the President of the ITF and all the arbitration and operation workers became a wonderful honor.

What does it mean to arbitrate?

For being Spanish, I have arbitrated small. I was an honest and humble player, but I didn’t want to arbitrate with her, I became very nervous about the issue of time because I was always on the limit and suffered for her, because she didn’t come and you needed advice. That’s the referee figure, you need to make a decision based on the rules. I get a little tense the reality of being with him, but this is what we always say, if others can, you need to know too.

Have you noticed a change in players with the introduction of arbitration technology?

Without a doubt, especially from the introduction of the judge of the electronic line. The fact that a singing machine has no contact from the first point of the game between the referee and the player. Before players consult you when there is a fair ball, they look at you, you need to go down to look at the brand. Then a relationship of trust was created, a link that allows you to win credit to the player. So far it does not exist and, if there are some conflicting situations, this link of complexity is not created and the discussions make it bigger than ever.

Will the Judge of Seat Lose a day?

Technology is advancing a lot, but it’s hard for me to see how a machine can judge a player’s behavior. That is a human factor, regulation is not black and white, but requires referee interpretation.

Why does arbitration leave so young?

I have fulfilled many of my arbitration goals, that I have arbitrated things that I never thought would be arbitrating and I wanted to do other personal projects, continue to be linked to the sports management world, I think I can give a lot of value in that sense because of the experience of an arbitrator that has traveled around the world. And another second element is that the introduction of technology has made arbitration that changed a lot and eventually it became a slight routine work. It was a very happy lifestyle, but I wanted to make a change before it was too late.

Was a little burning ended?

A little, it could be, but I really enjoyed it and I think I left it at the perfect moment, when I was at the top of the arbitration and touched the change.

Too often disrespectful and repeat the guilty players see, are the tough hand lost in arbitration?

The hard hand is not from the referees, the referees are on the track and our operation will apply the conduct code and the penalties only apply to the party. Then apply an economic penalty or not exceed the referee’s work. The hard hand on the track exists, if the players then escape without a fine or the system is sufficient or not, that is the fault of the organisms. And without forgetting that players are the main ownership of these agencies, they are the ones who make up the business.

Tennis referes have not been noticed, but their football colleagues are in the media focus.

I don’t think we are all referees, but there are many differences. Tennis moves a lot of money, but it’s not like football. I think you should take advantage of the maximum and do it well. In tennis it is applied in a very good way and I believe that football should also happen.

How many charges of a chairman charge tennis?

In a grand slam he will charge the same for arbitrating a final or a match of the previous stage. It’s a fee per week or a day, it’s the same if you make a game or more or if they last or less, so it’s badly distributed in my opinion. It depends on the weeks you work with, logically, you’ll get more or less.

Can you say any figure?

It will be very wet, but they are not the numbers that come out published on the Internet, that we charge $ 5,000 for a Wimbledon party is a lie. Things don’t go there, that figure is very far away. If so, I will continue to arbitrate.