Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are facing each other in the first semifinal of the 2025 US Open. The clash is being termed as the biggest of the tournament so far, with both players trying to make it to the finals of this year’s last Grand Slam.
However, the match’s chair umpire, Eva Asderaki-Moore, has caught everyone’s attention, given Alcaraz’s verbal dispute with her from earlier this year.
Eva Asderaki-Moore’s Decorated Career: A Hobbyist Player to Grand Slam Final Umpire
Born on January 27, 1982, in Chalcis, Greece, Asderaki-Moore started playing tennis for fun when she was a child. She once ranked seventh in Greece for under-16 players. At around 15, she helped as a line judge at an international junior event in Greece.
“Well, I used to play tennis as a hobby as a junior back in Greece, and then we had an international tournament and we held US line judges. I enjoyed being on court doing something else other than playing, and that’s how it all started,” she later recalled.
After that first taste of officiating, she earned her first International Tennis Federation umpiring badge in Thessaloniki in 2000. A year later, she began working on the international circuit. By 2004, she was chosen to officiate matches in her home country during the Athens Olympics. Over the next decade, she took charge of high-profile contests at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
In 2015, Asderaki-Moore made history at Flushing Meadows. She became the first woman to chair umpire the US Open men’s final, overseeing Djokovic’s victory over Roger Federer. Her precise calls and calm handling of challenges earned praise from players and fans alike. Her performance in that match led to a wave of support on social media, where many called her the MVP of the night.
Such a waste of the talents of Eva Asderaki-Moore, one of the sharpest-eyed chair umpires, that she no longer can overrule a bad line call. I’ll take Eva over technology#getty #usopen pic.twitter.com/wfCt4U6lNZ
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) September 5, 2025
She married Australian umpire Paul Moore in London in 2012. The couple now lives in Sydney and welcomed their first child in July 2018. Even after becoming a mother, she continued to travel the world for tennis tournaments. She holds a gold umpiring badge from the ITF and remains the only current Greek official at the top tier.
MORE: Novak Djokovic’s Box at US Open – From Monica Seles’ Unexpected Appearance to Coaching Team
Carlos Alcaraz’s Controversy With Eva Asderaki-Moore During Melbourne Match Against Novak Djokovic
Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Djokovic and Alcaraz found themselves under Asderaki-Moore’s watch. Alcaraz, who ultimately lost the quarterfinal match, was involved in a heated confrontation with her when Djokovic halted play way before the umpire called “let” on the Spaniard’s serve.
Alcaraz argued that Asderaki-Moore ruled the let call because she was influenced by his opponent freezing during the rally.
During the tense moment he challenged her, stating, “It was let but you stopped because he stopped. I know you stopped because he stopped,” accusing her of being influenced by Djokovic.
“He thinks the umpire has been influenced…”
Carlos Alcaraz questions the delay on this call from the umpire âť“#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/nZscgaJ4Dk
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) January 21, 2025
Despite the tense Melbourne match in January, both stars were assigned to the same chair umpire in New York. Asderaki-Moore’s ability to manage emotion on court and build trust with each player has made her one of the tour’s most respected umpires.
