His school mates may remember him as the class clown so it might come as no surprise that in 2024, Ned McVicar, then 21, enrolled in a Bachelor of Comedy. Seriously!
As told to Vicki Milliken
In 1992, I made the decision to give up playing tennis. I was 32 years old. I’d played since I was a youngster. My mentality was to win at all costs – even if that meant cheating, throwing my racquet and getting angry when things didn’t go my way.
I stopped playing because I was ashamed of my behaviour. But I wasn’t finished with tennis. To stay involved in the sport I loved, I started training to become a line umpire. My first ever event was an under 12s tournament in Blackburn North in the middle of winter. But my goal was the Australian Open – specifically Rod Laver Arena.
Advancement through the ranks came slowly – the older crew, of which I was one, were often overlooked. When I asked what I needed to do to be promoted, I was told by an experienced training assessor, “Tony, you’re an average umpire and you’ll always be an average umpire.” Those words – while hurtful – ignited an intention to prove I wasn’t Mr Average. I decided I was going to call louder, more confidently and with more precision than any other official on court. It worked. Chair umpires started noticing me. Then they started asking for me.
Since then, I’ve worked as a line umpire at nine Australian Open grand slam finals (2001–2009), officiating the likes of Federer, Djokovic, the Williams sisters, Navratilova and many others. My highest achievement was calling the service line – the holy grail of line umpiring – for the 2008 Australian Open Women’s Final between Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic.
Another time I was selected to work at Wimbledon – the home of tennis. It was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I got to walk on the grass. You don’t get to do that unless you’re an official, a player or a grounds person. Even now, the experience leaves me beyond words.
In 2010, my life changed when I was approached to become a tournament referee and take on the Australian Championships for players with intellectual impairment – PWII, pronounced pee-wee for short. Initially, I viewed my role as giving back. But as I got to know the players, my attitude changed. These players were no different from Roger Federer or Rafal Nadal – they deserved the same respect. Since that first year, the tournament has grown and is now part of the Australian Open calendar – an international event for PWII, deaf and hearing-impaired players.
In 2020 I was awarded Official of the Year by Victorian Disability Sports and Recreation across all sports for athletes with a disability in Victoria. That was a highlight, but really, I should thank the PWII players and their parents.
When you understand the effort that they’ve put in to get where they are, you understand the value of patience and grace. Two things I wish I’d been able to instill in my game.
* Tony has once again been appointed Referee for the Australian Open Intellectual Disability Championships starting late Jan 2026
