Wimbledon umpire Kader Nouni sets pulses racing
The low tones of honey-voiced Kader Nouni has set pulses racing at Wimbledon and drawn comparisons with singer Barry White
Forget Rafael Nadal's bulging muscles or Grigor Dimitrov's rugged good looks.
For it has been an umpire who has had tennis fans swooning this year with his deliciously velvety voice.
The low tones of cappuccino-voiced Kader Nouni has set pulses racing at Wimbledon and drawn comparisons with singer Barry White.Â
The referee, 46, watched over the Johanna Konta quarter-final match on Centre Court and made the decision not to replay the match-point when a woman in the crowd screamed in the middle of a rally.
World number two Simona Halep limply hit a forehand into the bottom of the net after being distracted by the shriek.
'I was su rprised that lady was screaming,' Halep said afterwards. 'I thought, 'He's going to repeat the point'. I think it's normal to repeat the point when someone is screaming like that.'Â
Despite Konta becoming the first British woman to reach a Wimbledon semi-final since 1978, Nouni was described by his new army of social media fans as the 'star of the game'.Â
One viewer said he had the 'sexiest voice ever' while another said 'the umpire on the Konta match sounds like Barry White'.
Another said: 'I want Kader Nouni to umpire/narrate my life. Such a sweet baritone on Centre Court.'
Janet Pycroft remarked: 'Wow, Kader Nouni. To describe his voice, think drowning in a vat of chocolate, golden syrup and fine brandy!'Â
'Forget Murray, Federer or Nadal,' said Alfred Joyner on Twitter. 'Wimbledon is all about hearing the velvet v oice of Kader Nouni.'Â
One spectator remarked said Nouni was like 'the Walrus of 15-love,' a play on Mr White's nickname of 'the Walrus of Love'.Â
Former champion John McEnroe even commented on his seductively smooth voice.Â
'[Nouni]'s got the great voice, I'll give him that. He's an argument for smoking cigarettes if you're an umpire', he said.Â
Nouni said he got into umpiring because he liked to play and watch tennis and felt it offered a professional career for him
Nouni grew up in Perpignan in southern France and began his umpire career at the age of 15 at his local tennis club. By he age of 16 he was a linesman in the French Open.
Since 2005 he has been a professional referee in ATP and WTA tournaments and he won praise for his sultry tones in previous Wimbledon tournaments.Â
Nouni said he got into umpiring because he liked to play and watch tennis and felt it offered a professional career for him.
He clearly has the voice and the desire and skills for the job.
'You need to see the ball well and have good concentration...some matches can go three, four or five hours sometimes. You need to have good communication with t he players and not be too arrogant. You need to listen to their complaints, so you have to be very respectful,' he said.
'I'm always excited to do matches. You don't want to make mistakes and want to be as fair as much as you can.'
He added: 'It's very flattering to be compared to Barry White. I do get a bit of attention from hardcore tennis fans, who stop me for photos.'Â
Viewers compared the umpire's sultry tones to the crooner Barry WhiteÂ
Earlier this week it was Nouni's on-court gesture rather than his on-court calls, which had the crowd cheering its approval.Â
With Garbiñe Muguruza serving at 2-2 in the second set against Angelique Kerber in their quarter-final clash, a ball boy, feeling the effects of a muggy London day, needed to take a seat behind the baseline.Â
Nouni promptly climbed down from his chair and jogged down to assist the young man from the court, drawing a big cheer from the No.2 Court crowd.Â
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