By Tom Decent
That鈥檚 a big call from one of the most recognisable umpires on the tennis tour 鈥 a man whose travel itinerary would make even the most seasoned globetrotter jealous. Blom is just one of two Australians with an umpiring 鈥済old badge鈥 鈥 the highest rating for officials in professional tennis.
In 12 months, Blom will umpire in India, Taipei, Seoul, Busan, Japan, the United States, Tunisia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sweden, Croatia, Portugal, the United Kingdom and France. Possibly more. He鈥檚 not entirely sure.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably travelling half the year,鈥 he said.
Blom first officiated at the Australian Open in 1995 as a line umpire and estimates he鈥檚 umpired five grand slam singles finals, including a five-set epic in 2022 between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev. In total, it鈥檚 around 100 grand slams 鈥 including about 20 French Opens and 20 US Opens.