Soeren Friemel served a one-year suspension and lost a top officiating job for inappropriate communication with an underling. The decision to bring him back has rankled some colleagues.
The people who officiate tennis matches are supposed to exist in a quiet corner of the sports world, far from the spotlight. In most cases, if average fans know the name of a tournament referee, supervisor, chair umpire or line judge, something has gone terribly wrong, creating rare noise within an insular club whose members value rules and decorum over all else.