Best line umpire Abhishek elated after receiving praise from Duke of Kent, Roger Federer

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London, July 17: After working 13 years as line umpire and in the hawk-eye department, Abhishek Mukherjee on Sunday stepped into the limelight when he was adjudged the best line umpire.

"I am simply speechless after receiving the best line umpire's award. I could not dream of it as out of the four hundred umpires, only four foreign umpires were selected for the final and I got into the team. I was standing on the back and left side of Marin Cilic. It meant I was assigned to shout for line call against or in favor of Roger Federer. So, it was an extremely difficult job. I am happy to have completed it without error," said Mukherjee from London.

Mukherjee revealed his Wimbledon experience. "This was the first time I watched the closing ceremony, standing on the Center Court along with other line umpires. Actually, our team of umpires was assigned to take line call during Roger's championship point. That is why, we were allowed to stand on the Center Court to watch closing ceremony," he said.

The West Bengal umpire was also overwhelmed to have received appreciation from Duke of Kent, the man who hands over the trophies to the players and from Federer himself. "Excellent performance by these umpires," the eight-time champion said. "It was a huge compliment for all of us. I was overjoyed when the Duke of Kent shook hands with me and praised my performance," Mukherjee added.

OneIndia News