Generales

By: Johansson Cruz Lopera - Journalist

Twenty years have passed since the day Esteban Jiménez, a graduate of UdeA, dreamed of being an umpire in a Grand Slam. That dream, which began with a course in Jamaica in 2002, came true when he became the second Colombian —and the first person from Antioquia— to be in the final draw of the Wimbledon Championship, the oldest tennis tournament in the world. This is the profile of a man who dedicated his life to the professionalization of tennis umpiring in the country.

Wimbledon is the first Grand Slam in which Esteban participates. He is the second Colombian to do so. Photo: UdeA Communications Office / Alejandra Uribe F. 

If you put the words "Nadal vs. Tsitsipas" in the YouTube search engine, the final of the Canada Masters 2018 in Toronto immediately appears in the video suggestions. That final, which ended with a cross-court ball by the Spaniard over the Greek after an intense and even second set, had Esteban Jimenez Bobadilla as line umpire. This man from Antioquia has dedicated his life to umpiring field tennis.

This year (2022), Esteban achieved one of the goals he had set for himself two decades ago when he took the first international tennis umpiring course in Jamaica: to be on the court of a Grand Slam. The Grand Slam is the most important event in tennis. It is made up of the four major official tournaments of the professional circuit: Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open and Wimbledon. It was in Wimbledon that the umpire from Antioquia was a protagonist. He was appointed in the final draw.

"When I passed my first course as an international umpire in 2002, I set myself the goal of reaching a Grand Slam or an Olympic Games. It was very clear to me. I obviously had to start from the bottom of the professional tournament ladder: the Futures, Challengers, ATP and WTA and try to climb the ladder and make a career out of it. When I was a ball boy, I didn't think I would be in a stadium umpiring a tennis star. I didn't even imagine it. That course in Jamaica changed everything", said Jiménez Bobadilla, a physical education graduate of Universidad de Antioquia and current sports coordinator of the Antioquia Tennis League.

He is, so far, the first and only tennis umpire in the country with gold badge status. In the "tennis whites" sport, there are several umpiring roles: chair umpire, chief umpire and referee. Likewise, there are several badges: white, bronze, silver and gold. Esteban has worked in all the roles and has the highest qualification. 

"In 2003, I graduated from UdeA and entered the League immediately, although I had already been working for it for several years promoting an umpires’ college, which was a subject that always interested me because, ever since I was in school, I have been drawn to refereeing". He told us this while recalling his youth in Sabaneta, where he has always lived, as a basketball referee. However, life quickly showed him the path he should follow. For the National Games in Tunja in 2000, he planned to attend as a basketball referee, but he needed to be in the first category and was only in the third. He did not manage to finish the courses and had to wait a couple of years more. However, that same year, he took a course to be a tennis umpire and passed it, and the Colombian Federation of this sport invited him to the games. "That linked me forever to this sport", he recalled.

Two Decades of Sacrifices  

Of his time at the university, he recalls that it was a difficult time because of his schedule and work obligations. In the mornings, he took classes at the Robledo campus; at noon, he studied English at Eafit and, in the afternoons, he worked as a ball boy at the Club Campestre. "It was a time of much learning, and I have the best memories of it. In the sports community, the university's program is very prestigious. It sets a standard. I feel proud to be an UdeA graduate", he said.

His mark goes beyond the achievements he has obtained individually. In 2000, he began working on the creation of a collegiate umpiring body for tennis because matches used to be refereed by people from the clubs, such as teachers or coaches.

Esteban has led the Antioquia Tennis League’s umpires’ college since 2002. Photo: UdeA Communications Office / Alejandra Uribe F. 

"Ten of us started umpiring all the League tournaments. We liked umpiring and were getting training. That's a gift you are born with, a unique ability. Not everyone likes to be a judge or bear the weight of the decisions that this job comes with in any sport", explained Esteban Jiménez. Thanks to this work, Antioquia has six international judges. 

His discipline and perseverance led him to climb up the ranks of umpiring. Without forcing it, his work led him to those small personal victories that justify the many weekends he has spent away from his wife, daughter, parents and siblings wandering through hotels, airports and cities around the world. 

"My first big tournament was in 2010 in Acapulco, the Mexican Open, which belongs to ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women's Tennis Association). I had the opportunity to umpire Nadal, Ferrer and the Williamses there. In 2011, I was accepted into the Madrid Open, which is an ATP Tour Masters 1000 and a WTA Tour 1000 event. It is the fourth tournament played every season. Those two tournaments gave me the chance to access the professional circuit and participate in several tournaments such as Toronto and Montreal, among others". 

After 20 years dedicated to this profession, Esteban felt that umpiring this generation of tennis stars, such as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and del Potro, in various tournaments took away the pressure of umpiring in a Grand Slam. However, he kept working to check off that dream. "Since 2002, with my white badge, I started applying to one of these tournaments. I did it every year. I received many letters that thanked me for wanting to go, but the answer was “no”, or they put me on the substitute list", he recalled.  

He was a line umpire at the 2010 Mexican Open final in Acapulco between David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero, and again in 2018 between Juan Martin del Potro and Kevin Anderson. That same year, he was also a line umpire at the Canadian Masters final in Toronto between Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

This year, as every year since 2002, he applied again to umpire at Wimbledon. The answer to his application was “yes”. He had been initially accepted to umpire in the qualifying rounds, which take place the week before the tournament starts. There were 75 umpires, and the organization left a spot for 15 of those judges to move on to the main draw according to their performance. Fortunately for him and thanks to his work, he earned a place to be a protagonist in one of those mythical courts. 

"The moment they told me that I had made it to the main draw and was going to be on those courts was very special. It was inevitable not to get emotional and cry", he said touched and added that "a fact to understand what it means to be there, for example, is that it is not easy for the public to get the tickets, which are sold a year in advance after long waiting lists. To be there as a spectator is already exciting. Now, to be there as an umpire on the court making decisions about matches, with all that represents, is a great satisfaction, a big weight". 

On the wall of his office, there is a picture of the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal with his back to the camera on a court in Toronto, and on the line of that court is Esteban Jiménez in the position of line umpire. Behind his desk, there is a shelf with multiple awards for Best Umpire in local and national tournaments. On his desk, there is a pair of tennis balls as part of the decoration of the place that witnesses the passion that this umpire expresses in every word as he remembers every step of the way since 2000 and the National Games that changed his life. 

"It is a family achievement. It is 20 years of investing in a process that goes beyond the economic aspect. It is a message to all those who are close to us: We must work for the goals we set for ourselves. Being at Wimbledon was a dream come true that took time, but I made it", said Esteban.