It’s kinda fun to imagine the 377 official Chair and Line Umpires at Wimbledon for the 2021 championships bonding by testing each other’s multi-lingual proficiency of all things profane. There is a real opportunity for creativity there. Not that we think that actually happens amongst the professional rule enforcers at the world’s biggest tennis matches. In reality, umpires are responsible for keeping it clean on the courts where obscene outbursts and unsportsmanlike conduct are not tolerated. 

According to the Official Grand Slam Rule Book, which covers the expectations for not only Wimbledon, but the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, and the French Open, players are prohibited from using audible obscenities not just during a match, but even during warm-ups. Audible obscenities are defined as “words commonly known and understood to be profane and uttered clearly and loudly enough to be heard by the Chair Umpire, spectators, Line Umpires or Ballpersons.” 

In such a high-stakes situation, though, sometimes a player will forget themselves in a moment of frustration. It definitely happens. According to The New York Times, tennis-stars-a-plenty have been fined for their foul mouths in various tennis championships — Serena Williams, Heather Watson, Nick Kyrgios, and Andy Murray, to name a few. 

Snopes reports that while umpires are “made aware of” the many options for swear words they could hear on the court, it’s not clear if it’s required that they must learn them all. But it seems they would, at least just for fun.