Kader Nouni (born 23 February 1976) is a French tennis umpire. He works primarily for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and has officiated six major finals. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) certified him as a gold badge umpire in 2007. Known for his baritone voice, Nouni is sometimes called the "Barry White of tennis".
Nouni was born to Algerian-French immigrants on 23 February 1976.[1][2] He grew up in the Haut Vernet quarter of Perpignan, in southern France.[3][4] Nouni and his elder brother, Miloud, were raised in public housing by a single mother; his father died when he was two.[4][5]
Basketball was an early interest, but Nouni and his brother additionally took up tennis after 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 would string rackets, sweep the court lines, and do other jobs at a local tennis club.[4][5] Local tournaments began to hire 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 disbelieved over the phone that he was only sixteen.[5]
As a 16-year-old, Nouni got his first major umpiring experience as a line judge at the 1992 French Open, after being recognized for good officiating at a junior tennis event that had been held the year prior at Roland Garros in Paris.[4][5] Before he dedicated himself to officiating, Nouni briefly studied sociology at the university level.[4]
Over time, 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 with work in bars in Perpignan.[1][4] The ITF accredits umpires at different levels; Nouni earned 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: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2021. Outside of Roland Garros, the only other major final he has officiated was Wimbledon 2018.[5][4] His other high-profile matches on the WTA Tour include presiding over four season-ending WTA Finals finals.[4]