Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic showed their class with a heartwarming gesture to the umpire after reaching the final of the ATP Finals.
The year-end No. 1 doubles team beat Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 7-6(1)7-6(4) in a tight two-setter to book their spot in Sunday’s championship match.
As they shook hands with the chair official, both men took the opportunity to say farewell to Carlos Bernardes who will end his 40-year umpiring career at the end of the season.
Bernardes was in the chair for his last-ever official ATP doubles match on Saturday night, overseeing the second semi-final between the top seeds and the Finnish-British pair.
Earlier this year, the gold-badge umpire confirmed that this would be his last season working as a chair official on the professional tennis circuit. Bernardes has since been honoured at several tournaments including the US Open and the ATP 500 in Barcelona.
And both Arevalo and Pavic took the opportunity to thank the Brazilian for his work after winning their match against Heliovaara and Patten.
It was Pavic who approached the chair first to shake hands with the official. Arevalo joined them and told Bernardes: “Carlos, it was a pleasure having you. I’m going to miss you.”
Pavic then addressed the 60-year-old. “I don’t know if it’s going to be the last match you did,” he said before wishing Bernardes well for the future.
The umpire was moved by their gesture, placing his hand over Pavic’s and thanking him.
“It’s a warm goodbye for Carlos Bernardes,” commentator Mikey Perera said. “That’s his last doubles match in the chair and the two players just sending their best regards.”
The Brazilian umpire still has a few matches to go before he steps down. He will also officiate the upcoming Davis Cup Finals for the first time where another familiar face – Rafael Nadal – is set to retire.
Bernardes got his start in officiating in 1984, when the Sao Paulo’s Pinheiros Sports Club needed 100 line umpires to stage a Billie Jean King Cup tie. He decided to volunteer and began working at tournaments across South America.
The 60-year-old became an full-time ATP umpire in 1992. He’s enjoyed plenty of career highlights, sitting in their chair for several Grand Slam finals including the Wimbledon championship match in 2011. Bernardes has also worked five Olympic Games.
He contemplated retirement for several years before deciding to step down at the end of 2024. Ahead of his farewell, he told the US Open: “I didn’t come from a rich family… and after all this time, to realise I’ve visited over 100 different countries, met people from simple people to presidents, it doesn’t feel like real life.
“The passion for the sport is one of the things that’s kept me going.”
