Nouni was born to Algerian-Frenchimmigrants on 23 February 1976.[1][2] He grew up in the Haut Vernet quarter of Perpignan, in southern France.[3][4] Nouni and his older brother were raised in public housing by a single mother after his father died when he was two.[4][5]
Nouni and his brother took up tennis in the wake of Frenchman Yannick Noah's victory at the 1983 French Open.[4] Costs associated with tennis (lessons, court rental, etc.) meant Nouni needed to work from a young age; by age nine, he strung rackets, swept the court lines, and did other jobs at a local tennis club.[4][5] Local tournaments hired him to officiate adult matches from age 12.[5] Nouni recalled that despite his youth, early on he got positive feedback from players for his umpiring skills.[4] Nouni developed his trademark deep voice by his mid-teens; he recalled an incident when a girlfriend's father did not believe that he was only sixteen because of his voice over the phone.[5]
Career
As a 16-year-old, Nouni got his first major umpiring experience as a line judge at the 1992 French Open, after having been recognized for good officiating at a junior tennis event held the previous year at the Roland Garros stadium complex in Paris.[4][5] Before dedicating himself to officiating, Nouni briefly studied sociology at the university level.[4]
Nouni worked his way as a chair umpire from qualifying competitions, to the main draws of WTA and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) events, to Grand Slams.[6] He became a full-time umpire in 2005; in off-seasons past, Nouni sometimes supplemented his income by working in bars in his hometown of Perpignan.[1][4] He earned ITF accreditation over time: his white badge (Level 2) in 1998, bronze badge (Level 3) in 2002, silver badge in 2004, and gold badge (highest level) in 2007.[4] He joined the WTA Tour exclusively in 2008, but still sometimes officiates men's matches at Grand Slams.[2][4]
Nouni has umpired five women's singles finals at the French Open: in 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2021. Outside of Roland Garros, the only other major final he has officiated was the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.[5][4] His other high-profile matches on the WTA Tour include presiding over four season-ending WTA Finals finals.[4]
Nouni has been involved in several notable moments of controversy.[5] At the 2012 Australian Open, after Nouni overruled a line judge to award John Isner an ace and declined to allow a late Hawk-Eye challenge, David Nalbandian argued at length with Nouni and said postmatch that the umpire had mismanaged that moment.[5][7][8] At the 2015 French Open, Victoria Azarenka thought she had saved a set point after a miss by Serena Williams, but because a line judge made a late incorrect call on Azarenka's previous shot, Nouni had the players replay the point (instead of awarding it to Azarenka outright).[9] At the 2023 French Open, Nouni missed a double bounce on Holger Rune's side and then penalised Francisco Cerúndolo for stopping mid-court as a ball kid began to run on, also thinking the point was over.[10]
Recognition
Nouni's deep baritone voice, fashion sense, and personality have helped make him one of the most famous tennis umpires today.[2][5][6][11][12]The Guardian writes, "With his smoky tones, he's been praised for having the best voice in tennis".[11] Other sources describe his tone as "honeyed", "resonant and melodic", "seductive", and "soothing", and note his thick French accent.[5][6][12][13] Nouni's pronunciation of "deuce" is especially striking to some fans.[6][13]John McEnroe once joked, "[Nouni]'s got the great voice, I'll give him that ... He's an argument for smoking cigarettes if you're an umpire".[6] Nouni used to worry that his voice could distract from his job, noting "We always say that a good official is someone that we don't talk about", but has since come to appreciate the fan interest.[5][6] Because of his deep voice, he is sometimes referred to as the "Barry White of tennis".[5][6][12][13]
Personal life
Nouni met his wife, Melanie Conesa, in 2010. They have two children.[4] As of 2018[update], when Nouni is not traveling, he lives with his family in Perpignan.[1]
