Cheryl Jenkins
Chief Umpire
What do tennis great Roger Federer and Cheryl Jenkins have in common? “We both started out as ballkids,” Cheryl, 47, tells New Idea. “We just took slightly different pathways after that!”
But that doesn’t mean Cheryl isn’t a big name in tennis. Over the last three decades she’s worked her way up behind the scenes, and in 2019 she became the first-ever female chief umpire of the Australian Open. It’s a title she still holds today. “That was a big personal achievement,” says Cheryl. “I was lucky to be the first woman, but in future I hope we stop talking about first, second, third and it’s just normal for women to be in these roles.”
Coming from a family of tennis players, the game has always been in Cheryl’s blood. Her determination to succeed stems, in part, from a desire to beat her older brothers, but it developed into far more. The Melbourne mum recalls her first time walking onto Centre Court in Wimbledon.
“My brothers and I spent our July school holidays staying up late with a stash of lollies watching Wimbledon,” she smiles. “Being there, I thought: ‘I’ve made it.’”
But Cheryl’s career hasn’t been all strawberries and cream, and she’s got her fair share of war stories: being hit by speeding tennis balls and booed by the crowd for unpopular calls.
“There’s always calls I think back and wonder ‘why did I do that?’, but you make the best decision in that moment. It’s the same as anyone doing their job, but 15,000 people are watching mine plus a TV audience!”
These days, Cheryl’s calling the shots from the office rather than the court, ensuring Australia’s biggest Grand Slam runs perfectly.
“As umpires, we’re the supporting act,” she says. “It means we don’t get noticed if we’re doing our job well.”