SLO County tennis umpire prepares for U.S. Open during coronavirus: ‘It will be strange’

Update, 11:50 a.m.

Cambria resident Darius Kaviani will not serve as a line referee at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships due to a personal matter, he said Friday.

Original story:

When it comes to professional tennis, Darius Kaviani prides himself on making the right calls.

On Aug. 29, Kaviani will fly to New York City to serve as a line umpire at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships – marking the 17th straight year he has worked the prestigious sporting event.

Interviewed in his two-story Cambria home, where he has lived for 20 years, Kaviani talked about his career and his experiences at the Open.

This year’s tournament will be radically different due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Louis Armstrong Stadium (capacity 14,053) and Arthur Ashe Stadium (capacity 23,771) will be silent except for the eerie sounds of hammering serves and returns echoing off empty seats.

In a world impacted by COVID-19, it’s not possible for thousands of tennis fans to gather in a confined space. How does this veteran tennis umpire feel about unoccupied stadiums?

With no fans crowding the walkways, “It will be a lot easier to get to the stadium,” Kaviani explained with a coy smile.

But without fans wildly cheering for their favorite players, then quieting down until the next ball is struck, it just “won’t be the same,” explained Kaviani, wearing a face shield and looking fit.

“The momentum of every match very often is determined by the energy of the crowd for the favorite, or in some cases the underdog. It will be strange,” he said.

Under the Open’s pandemic guidelines, each day through Sept. 13, he will be required to complete a health questionnaire about any COVID-19 exposure he has had, and any symptoms.

Kaviani will be “subject to a temperature check upon entry” to the National Tennis Center, he said.

He also will be required to submit to additional COVID-19 testing, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Open Chief Umpire’s Office.

“Personal protective equipment is required and will be provided, including a face mask that will be required at all times, as well as gloves,” the fact sheet says.

Kaviani said he’s extremely cautious and acutely aware of coronavirus dangers. “If I have to die, I’d rather die on a tennis court than in a hospital with COVID-19,” he added.

Cambria umpire prides himself on correct calls

Kaviani is passionately proud of his umpiring skills — and his ability to make correct calls at the baseline. He began a recent interview by playing a video on his smartphone of a pivotal moment in the 2019 U.S. Open, when his line call was challenged.

His uncannily proficient vision — the result of a “triple lens implant” a few years ago — serves him well, allowing him to instantaneously zero in like a hawk on close calls. Players who challenge his calls often find themselves on the losing end of the dispute.

The call in question came during an important match on the Louis Armstrong Court.

Australian Ashleigh Barty, one of the top players in the world, hit a shot that she believed nicked the baseline. In the video, Kaviani can be heard yelling “Fault!”

Shortly thereafter Barty is heard shouting, “What was wrong with that umpire? That ball landed right on top of the line. … Why did he call it out?”

“I know how to call,” said Kaviani, a self-assured, scrupulous professional. “The ball was just a millimeter out that day. When a call is very close, I squeeze my hands so hard you can actually see my veins.”

On that call, he said, “The chair umpire wasn’t too sure, but he really trusted me.”

The video replay showed the ball was indeed out — “by a millimeter,” Kaviani said with a boyish smile.

In another 2019 challenge to his eagle-eyed calls, a player protested by saying, “’He’s out of his mind. It was out!’ ” Kaviani recalled.

The video replay clearly indicated the ball clipped the edge of the baseline, the umpire said. It was good.

Immigrant from Iran drawn to tennis

About 61 years ago, Kaviani arrived in California as an immigrant from Iran.

Having learned fluent English from an American instructor in his native country, he was able to get odd jobs as a painter and delivery person in Marysville. For a time, he drove a truck for the Olympia Beer Co.

“If I can make it, anybody can make it,” Kaviani said.

While earning a bachelor’s degree at Yuba College in Marysville, he worked in the cafeteria washing dishes, earning $14 a month. Having put in an hour’s work washing dishes each day, he qualified for free breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“I always tell people: you work hard you can get by,” he said.

In time, Kaviani got his master’s degree from Fresno State University and learned to play tennis.

“The first year I made No. 6 on the team and my second year I was No. 2,” he recalled.

Upon graduation, Kaviani received his teaching credentials. He coached tennis at Hoover High School in Fresno for two years before accepting a job teaching physical education and coaching sports at Tulare High School.

In the 29 years, Kaviani coached at Tulare High, his tennis teams won 23 league championships. He is in the Tulare High School Hall of Fame.

Kaviani’s dream was always to be a certified tennis umpire, and he had achieved that status in 1979. The first weekend tournaments he worked were high schools in the San Joaquin Valley, when “not too many people were certified,” he said.

Is SLO County resident close to ending career?

In a 2018 interview published in the Cambrian, Kaviani said that after more than 40 years of umpiring tennis, he might retire in “two or three years.”

Is he holding to that prediction in 2020? “Probably this is it” for the U.S. Open, he answered. “Probably.”

Kaviani believes Grand Slam tournaments will be using “electronic umpires” in the future, so his services may soon not be needed.

“I feel like it will be the right time” to retire, he said. “Besides, they don’t need that many umpires, so why not) give the younger generation of umpires a chance. Why should I take their place?”

Plus, Kaviani’s wife of 53 years, Leah, may not want him to go back to New York City again in 2021.

But Kaviani said his wife knows how much he loves umpiring tennis, so he may continue plying his trade for university tennis tournaments.

Kaviani said 2020 “is going to be completely different from previous years” no matter where he works. “We are going to be safe I hope,” he said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 2:09 PM.