Umpires, Etiquette, & The Future of the One-Handed Backhand | Q&Andy

Summary

Served with Andy Roddick – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Umpires, Etiquette, & The Future of the One-Handed Backhand | Q&Andy

Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Andy Roddick, with co-host and questions from Mike

Episode Overview

In this lively Q&A episode, Andy Roddick fields listener questions all about tennis umpires, on-court etiquette, and the ongoing evolution of the one-handed backhand. Andy’s humor, honesty, and behind-the-scenes candor shine as he shares personal anecdotes, player perspectives, and insights into the sometimes absurd world of pro tennis officiating.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Umpire Mistakes and Arguing Calls

Timestamp: [01:07]

• How do players professionally argue when they believe an umpire is wrong?
  • Andy explains there’s little recourse in real-time. Calling a supervisor is possible but often fruitless.
  • Illustrates frustration with lack of accountability:

    “If you’re wrong and you stink today, nothing happens. That used to drive me crazy.” – Andy [01:36]

  • Highlights discrepancy: players get fined for misconduct, but umpires face no public sanctions for errors.
  • At top-level tournaments, Hawkeye and reviews limit human error, but on outside courts and smaller events, mistakes can still impact matches.

2. Should Umpires Be Former Players?

Timestamp: [04:00]

• Should umpires have tennis playing experience to be better at their jobs?
  • Andy says finding ex-players willing to umpire is unrealistic.
  • Main annoyance: umpires checking court conditions in loafers, not understanding actual player movement:

    “You get down, you went like this. …Do you see us going, like, just walking around like that? …With your little loafers.” – Andy [05:13]

  • Partial acknowledgment that player experience offers a certain “feel,” but not essential:

    “Does every NBA ref have to have played? Absolutely not.” – Andy [06:42]

  • The main issue is about umpires making judgment calls on things they haven’t experienced.

3. Judgment Calls, Umpire Personalities, and Showmanship

Timestamp: [07:22]

• There’s a lack of consistency; some umpires strictly follow rules, others use discretion (like enforcing the shot clock).
• Umpires sometimes seem to insert themselves into the match theatrically, which can annoy players.

  “Can you just say the fucking score? Why is it like a dramatic reading every time?” – Andy [08:00]

• Fans may enjoy umpire showmanship, but for a losing player it's a source of irritation.

4. Showman Umpires: Mohamed Lahyani

Timestamp: [08:25]

• Andy praises Lahyani’s personality but draws a line at his famous pep talk to Nick Kyrgios at the US Open:

  “[He] comes out and, like, gives him, like, a pep talk... If I’m Kyrgios’s opponent, I’m like, get the fuck out of there.” – Andy [09:07]

• Believes umpires shouldn’t cross the line into coaching or motivating during a match, even if they mean well.

  “I would have lost my mind in that specific situation.” – Andy [10:02]

• Still, he lauds Lahyani’s character:

  “He’s the nicest person. He’s so decent...and also…it’s super annoying when you’re not in the mood for it.” – Andy [10:17]

5. Practical Umpire Questions – "What if the umpire has to pee?"

Timestamp: [10:24]

• Andy marvels at umpires’ “superhuman” bladder control during marathon matches.

  “The most amazing thing you will see from umpires is bladder control.” – Andy [10:34]

• Jokes about his own inability to sit that long and how others prep by avoiding hydration.
• Suggests bringing an umpire onto the podcast to answer this mystery.

6. Etiquette on Switching Sides and Unwritten Rules

Timestamp: [12:26]

• On who gets the “better” chair at changeovers:
  • “No, it’s whoever gets there first.” – Andy [12:36]
• Rarely used as an intimidation tactic by pros, though running to the chair quickly can be mind games in extreme matches.
• Shares a story about trash talk being muffled under a towel to avoid microphone detection.

7. The Future of the One-Handed Backhand

Timestamp: [13:52]

• A listener asks about the slice as a substitute for the sliding, defensive one-handed backhand on tour.
• Andy explains fewer pros use one-handed backhands for good reason:

  “It’s the coolest looking shot…But…defensively, it’s tougher. Getting to [the ball] on a return is tougher.” – Andy [14:43]

• Acknowledges outliers (like Federer and Dimitrov) manage with extreme talent, but for “standard person[s] trying to make it,” the two-hander prevails due to versatility and defensive strength.
• Concludes that the tour favors two-handed backhands now, reflecting broader tactical shifts.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On umpire accountability:

  “If I screw up and explode, I get fined, and if they screw up, then nothing. We’re good, right?” – Andy [03:41]

• On umpires’ lack of “feel” for conditions:

  “You’re the one deciding whether or not we can move. With your little loafers.” – Andy [05:55]

• On showman umpires during matches:

  “Can you just say the fucking score? Why do you have to... [make it] a dramatic reading every time someone wins a point?” – Andy [08:00]

• On Mohamed Lahyani’s famous pep talk:

  “You cannot do that. You cannot do that.” – Andy [09:38]

• On the decline of the one-handed backhand:

  “We’re seeing way more two-handers…[they’ve] figured out basically what you’re making in the point with that question.” – Andy [15:23]

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Notable Timestamps for Segment Reference

• [01:07] – Arguing with umpires and supervisor process
• [04:00] – On umpires needing to be ex-players
• [07:22] – Judgment calls and umpire personalities
• [08:25] – Mohamed Lahyani and showman umpiring
• [10:24] – Can umpires take bathroom breaks?
• [12:26] – Switching chairs and changeover etiquette
• [13:52] – The future of the one-handed backhand

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Final Notes

• The episode is fast-paced and full of banter, also revealing Andy’s fondness for certain umpires but an unsparing honesty about officiating frustrations.
• Andy’s mix of irreverence and insight offers both fans and casual listeners a unique window into the quirks of professional tennis life.
• The episode avoids technical analysis in favor of player perspective, humor, and accessible stories.

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Perfect for listeners curious about the realities behind the scenes, the psychology of players, and the changing face of the sport.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to Q and Andy. What do we got, Mike?

[A]

Thank you to everybody for sending in your questions. So earlier in the last week, we sent out a request for questions around etiquette and umpiring, and we, we got a bunch of stuff ranging from, you know, questions about changeovers to, you know, classic moments from some showman umpires. To get your take on it.

[B]

I'm going to get in trouble here. All right. Before I. Before I actually hear what the questions are, we just need to say, I understand we're a show that people can ride in and ask questions. I am not the person to answer any questions about etiquette on a tennis court. Just so we're very clear. So I know when this gets clipped up and people don't watch my mayor culpa that I'm giving right now, people were like, oh, yeah, you're going to be the one to address etiquette on the. I'm saying it first. All right, here we are.

[A]

Luckily, there's not a lot. It's a lot about umpires. Okay, A lot about umpires. Your favorite people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

First up from our friend Ashley. If any umpire is wrong during a match on tour, how do you professionally argue your case?

[B]

You can't really, in real time, like, unless you call it, the supervisor and the supervisor comes out, they always come out, like, talking into a walkie talkie, but I don't know who they're talking to.

[A]

The supervisor is.

[B]

Yeah, always, like, they're always have a walkie talkie and people like, oh, it's raining. I'm like, it's indoors. There's no way. If it's like a judgment call. I mean, the thing that you always want is like, the question I always had is, like, if I'm wrong and I stink today. Right? Like, I go out and I lose. If you're wrong and you stink today, nothing happens. That used to drive me crazy. I would ask other checks and balances. Do you go back and review if someone's wrong, does it affect their matches? Like, I would get really annoyed if someone, you know, bungled two matches early, and then all of a sudden they're sitting on the final. Like, I'm like, well, that, you know, I don't. I don't. I don't know about that. So I have many, many questions, but you can't really win much of an argument. Like, if Medvedev's arguing about the balls to the umpire, there is literally not a thing the umpire will do. They're trying to, like, the Only job now, especially because they don't even have to call lines anymore, is just, is just keeping the peace and getting, getting, just kind of keeping the traffic going. That's it.

[A]

So are they not calling lines in all tournaments?

[B]

I'm sure they do sometimes, but like, anyone that you know that most of earth is watching probably has some sort of review. I, I mean, you'll get the outside courts where it's like, it's old school where an umpire can kind of screw up the entire match, right? So it's, I mean, it costs money to put in the system. So it's small. Some of the smaller events on the outside courts, as far as I understand, it's, it's. They don't have it, and they certainly don't have it at all, the challengers and, you know, so there is still room, but just, you're not going to see it in like a Rotterdam final, right? You're going to have the, the, the ability to review at the bigger tournaments.

[A]

So beyond the supervisor coming on the court in match, you know, post match, is there like an actual process to like, log a formal complaint?

[B]

I'm sure there is, but like, then you'll, you'll lodge the formal complaint and then you'll never hear any feedback. It's, there's not a simple, there's not a simple, like, way to do it. You basically, it ends up like I was in a million arguments where it spilled over to the referee's office after matches or the next day, and it's basically just me yelling and them going, I know, we'll take a look. Yep, yep, we'll take a look at it. Well, I don't know about that. And then I'm like, okay, so if I, if I screw up and explode, I get fined, and if they screw up, then nothing. We're. We're good, right? Yeah, yeah. So it's pretty frustrating.

[A]

Next up from Emar. I sometimes see tennis players in moments of frustration say something along the lines of, you know, you're not even a tennis player to the umpire. Do you think that umpires should be required to have a history of playing the game? Slash, do you think direct experience is necessary in order to be a good umpire?

[B]

You're not going to find a lot of former players that are going to be umpires, so doesn't matter what you wish for. It's like that's, it's not reality. I get so pissed. The thing that really used to send me off was one, when you get a million reps as a Players, the way a ball travels, the way it bounces, like, you get a read on all that. And I don't know if you can develop a feel for that, having not lived it and seen it and practiced it. From the time you're seven or eight years old, I don't know, you're probably less likely to be able to do all of those things. Right? Which is the point of. The point of frustration. What I used to. What used to absolutely drive me crazy. And this. I don't know if this is here nor there. When the umpires would, like. It'd be like, raining or something, and they would get out and they'd be wearing, like, loafers, and they would. They would, like, get out, get down from the chair, and they would, like, dab their foot like, four times, and then they get back up in the chair and they'd be like, you can still play. I'm like, from that, like, I don't know if you're right or wrong, but I'm just like, you got down, you went like this. And I go, is that the way that you think we move? Is that what you see? Do you see us going, like. Like, just like, walking around like, that used to drive me insane. And especially if they're like, you're good to go. And I'm like, it's actually slick. And they get down, they just tap their foot to measure the moisture. And if we can move or not, I'm like, you're the one deciding whether or not we can move. With your little loafers.

[A]

Your loafers on.

[B]

Yeah, give me a break. That used to drive me crazy. So I don't know about the actual calls and stuff, but I know that, like, when that stuff would happen, that's when I'd be like, you have no fucking clue. Like, if you're doing that and that simulates movement, I don't even know. Like, it was the most passive aggressive shit ever.

[A]

Beside. Besides that, like, truly understanding what it takes for the physicality of it, is there anything else that you think a player's insight would be more valuable to have for the perspective of an umpire?

[B]

Where. Where umpires get. Where it's trouble, it's like, it's. It's like the judgment calls in the bike. Like, some umpires will call the shot clock every time, some won't if it's a long point, you know, and so there's just a lack of clarity. And that's. That's where I think 90% of the arguments come from, especially because you're not even arguing about line calls anymore. You're arguing about someone yelling from the stands or you're arguing from. You know, it's just kind of controlling traffic. So, yeah, I mean, listen, if you're around enough, you know how to. You know. Does every NBA ref have to have played? Absolutely not. No chance. It's just. I like to see them sweating, too. You know, they're hauling ass the whole time, you know, so it's just kind of bitterness. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't think that you have to have been a player to be an effective umpire.

[A]

Next question's from Donald, and you kind of just touched on it here. But do umpires get direction on handling certain situations, or is it more of a personal judgment?

[B]

Most of the time, it's probably a personal judgment. I mean, you knew umpires that wanted to get involved and didn't. Like, you knew. Some people that, like, they announced the score. Like, some people. Some umpires, you feel like they want to be a part of the show. You know, it used to drive me crazy. Like, especially. And all. Obviously, all of this stuff only really drove me crazy when I was losing and needed to vent. But, like, when the umpire. 30, 15. I'm like, can you just.

[A]

The next question, I think, references that.

[B]

Can you just say the fucking score? Like, why do you have to. Why is it, like, a dramatic reading every time someone wins a point? I'm like, that's a fan.

[A]

I dig it. As a fan, I dig it.

[B]

Yeah, maybe that's the counter, but I, like, imagine you just get. You know, you're down 1540. You just miss out. 1540. Tomahawk. A racket.

[A]

The next question is from David. What is the player consensus on Muhammad showman style of umpiring?

[B]

I like Mohammed Leoni. I think he's a. He's a beautiful, decent man, and there's no world where you can, like, I remember him consoling Nick Kyrgios in the US Open. I'm like, that is not your job. Your job is to not get him to play more. Like, if I'm. If I'm the opponent there in that match, I'm like, get the fuck out of there.

[A]

Like, can you explain that for people that don't know? Like, he came down from.

[B]

Yeah, so, like, curious was having. He was doing. Curious is doing curious things. He's whining and whatever, and Leonie comes out and, like, gives him, like, a pep talk. Like, in the middle of a match, he's like, you can do. You know, I don't. I'll get the quotes wrong. But it was like he was on, like, you know, it was like you would coach like a. Like a. Like a small human in, like, soccer or baseball. You get on their level. And he was like, talking to him, like, if I'm curious as opponent, I'm like, what are you doing if he keeps playing? Because, you know, and I think there's. I think he won that match. But, like, you cannot do that. Like, you cannot do that.

[A]

And it was a U.S. open match.

[B]

Yes, it was in the U.S. open. You cannot do that.

[A]

Kyrgios is trailing Pierre Hughes. Who's it? Herbert.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

By the set in three. Zero.

[B]

Yeah. And he gave him like a. You can do it. Like, that's ridiculous. I love Mohamed Leiani. If you get, like, nicest, he will not have a bad day. You see him behind the scenes. He's fantastic. He's a great, great person. Nice, human. And I would have lost my mind in that specific situation that you don't.

[A]

And he was the one that. He also called scores and stuff and in an entertaining way and stuff like that.

[B]

Yes. Which was very annoying if you were having a bad day. That's it. Great guy.

[A]

Great guy.

[B]

He is a great guy. Like, he's the nicest. He's the nicest person. He's so decent. And also, it's like, that's, like, super annoying when you're not in the mood for it.

[A]

One person Patty wrote in, what happens if a chair umpire has to pee? And the serve team. We were thinking about the Isner iconic Isner match. I'm like, did that chair umpire even get out of their seat for eight hours?

[B]

I don't. I don't. The most amazing thing that you will see from umpires is bladder control. It's. It's. I don't understand it. I mean, I guess you could go at a switch over quickly. There's normally a bathroom, like, right off the court. But, like, I don't. I could never do, you know, the sideline. Even the sideline reporters who were, like, sitting there, like, the mic. I was texting with Isnor. I'm like, how have you been sitting there for four hours? Like, am I. I could never do it. I can't. Like, I don't know how you. I've said this before, but, like, when we play the 09 Wimblelove, Mirka sat there the entire time she was pregnant with twins. I'm like, how is that even. Like, it Was the most superhuman.

[A]

How is it possible?

[B]

Like, Roger broke the record. I tried my little heart out. And that might have been the most superhuman effort of the amazing. Like, I don't know. That blows my mind. Like, they're, they're, they're full on camel control. Is, is, is, is, Is phenomenal. Like, there's. I don't know, like, you can't have coffee. Right. Like, you. It's not as if you're an hour away from going into the chair. It's like, I'm just going to have like a double espresso ripper.

[A]

No, they're like, they're prepping. They're prepping themselves.

[B]

It's like anti hydration. Yeah. I don't know. That's. That's. I could not be like. I know we talked about, like. I know all the. See the way the ball travels and you see it better and I couldn't sit in the chair. Couldn't do it. Nope.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Done.

[A]

That's funny.

[B]

Yeah. Great observation. I have no idea. I don't know the answer to that. We should have an umpire on.

[A]

We should. That'd be great.

[B]

Yeah, we should have Muhammad Leoni on.

[A]

I was just gonna say, should we have. Should we as Muhammad on.

[B]

At the very least, we need to have him record an opening to served. Welcome to served. Like. Subscribe. Brought to you by ServiceNow.

[A]

Amy asked, Is there any standard etiquette in terms of the switching order? Is it just purely whoever gets there first or is there a written or unwritten rule amongst the players?

[B]

No, it's whoever gets there first. Yeah. If someone's like.

[A]

It's been used as like, intimidation factor in the past before. Right. Did you ever use it as like a. I'm the big dog?

[B]

No, not really.

[A]

With the.

[B]

I mean, there's a famous incident with Spirlaya and William Williams and she bumped and the whole like. Not really. I mean, I would use it like a switch over. It'd be like proximity. So, like my. The worst thing I did was like, if I had to trash talk or something, I would do it as we were walking and I would put the towel over my. You muffle it enough so it can't. The mics can't pick it up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, but it wasn't like that. It was just like, you're. You know, I'd be like, you're 70 in the world and I have all afternoon to figure out why. You know, stuff like that. But it wasn't. I didn't really care. I wasn't like I'm ever like I have to get to my chair first. You would do it like you would run to your chair like if there was a match in a big grand slam match where it was like hot as anything and I ran to my chair for an hour straight just to just kind of be a dick, just

[A]

like just prove a point.

[B]

Yeah. Like I was, I would like pretend like I wasn't feeling it. Yeah. So there's like little things like that. But I know there's no written, there's no rule book on who gets to go to their chair first.

[A]

Last one. And I just wanted this one in here because we had our, our backhands episode earlier this week. If you haven't seen it, go check it out. Andy and Chris Eubanks breakdown best backhands across a couple generations which was pretty great. But Sam asked more and more. The sliding backhand cross is becoming a staple defense ground stroke with a one handed backhand that is very hard to do. Is the slice fair replacement for it? Does it fundamentally put one handed backhanded players at a disadvantage on the tour?

[B]

Well, let's just break this down right. Players are going to do what best suits them to get a result right now. Are we seeing more one handed backhands over time or way less one handed backhands over time? The answer is less. Right. And that's not because it's not cool looking. It's the coolest looking shot in, in tennis history. But yeah, I think open stance backhands, I think the way people are returning now those are, I think those are tougher with, with one hand. I think you have to have an extraordinary slice. Like Dimitrov can still hit it really well but you also need some help from the court. Like you can hit the greatest slice in the world and if it's a slow court and sits up, it's not great. For all those reasons that they mentioned I don't really have much to add because defensively is tougher. Up out of the zone on a return is tougher. Getting to on a return is tougher and then people are well fed did it. Yeah. Otherworldly talents can probably work around it. Standard person trying to make it. I think know it's not an accident that we're seeing way more two handers. They've. They've figured out basically what you're making in the point with that question.

[A]

That's it. That's this week's Q.

[B]

And Andy, thank you for watching. This has been Q. Andy.

[C]

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