Tennis Association Sued By a Former Top Umpire

"I said, 'Naaaah, I'm a likable guy.' "

An umpire's life is a precarious one. If a star player takes a dislike to an umpire, that umpire might not get assigned to prominent matches. In the 2001 U.S. Open, the Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt complained that a black line judge favored James Blake, a player of mixed heritage. ("Look at him and look at him, and you tell me what the similarity is," Hewitt demanded of the umpire).

The USTA did not discipline Hewitt, and the line umpires in his next match were white, a result that officials attributed to random computerized assignments.

Hollins rarely encountered a problem with a player. But he began to speak out internally, asking why the USTA had not placed more blacks and women in the umpire chair for prominent matches. Then came the incident at U.S. Open in 1998, in which he says the white groundskeeper hurled a racial insult at him and Alvin Penelton, a black umpire from East St. Louis.

Hollins reported the incident to the USTA and, later, he spoke with the director of officials, Richard Kaufman. Hollins gave this version of that conversation: "Kaufman told us, 'You're lucky you're not thrown out of the tournament. Get out of my office!' "

USTA officials would not comment on this or any other incident.

Penelton, who has retired from Anheuser-Busch Inc. in St. Louis and still works major tournaments as a line umpire, backed up Hollins's account.

"It's hard to believe, but that's the way it happened," he said in an interview. "Cecil was moving too fast for them. He had gone to the top of the game in no time, and he had the sort of personality that attracted people."

Penelton paused, and added: "Race? I've got to say that's the bottom line, unfortunately."

Hollins was demoted and denied assignments in the next few years. In 2005, he stood by the Arthur Ashe statue outside the tennis center in Queens and wrapped his waist in chains and raised his fist, while supporters handed out leaflets explaining the situation.

"I could have done what black people do all the time in everyday life: Take it without saying a word," Hollins said. "But if Colin Powell can be secretary of state, and Hillary Clinton can run for president, doesn't it make sense they should be able to umpire a men's singles final at the U.S. Open?"