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Novak Djokovic won his 101st match at Wimbledon and advanced to his eighth consecutive quarter-final. Not that this was enough for the Serbian all-timer. In an act of grand generosity against his opponent Alex de Minaur, he also had his worst opening set at SW19, granting a rapt Centre Court crowd a rare moment of jeopardy at one of his matches.

The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion was broken three times in the first set by the Australian 12 years his junior. Djokovic’s game was all over the place. In that short window it was possible to imagine a world in which decent, well‑rounded challengers such as De Minaur, the No 11 seed, might come into these matches with hope of something other than chastening defeat. It was a nice thought while it lasted.

Everyone at this tennis sanctum knows better than to discount Djokovic, of course, at any point in a match. Even after such a disembodied display in the opening half-hour, the projected outcome was still success for the 38-year-old, and so it duly proved. The errors sharply declined, as if he had had a strong word with himself internally. The quality of his serve rose with each game to the point that it was the decisive weapon in the third set.

The fourth set was a dogfight after going 3-0 down but Djokovic got his teeth into the contest and held on until De Minaur submitted. Next up is the Italian No 22 seed, Flavio Cobolli.

“I was not feeling good, not finding the right timing,” Djokovic said of the first set, citing the swirling wind inside Centre Court.

“[De Minaur] was obviously feeling that. He was exposing my game, exposing my weaknesses, trying to mix things up, and returning extremely well. I think he’s one of the toughest opponents you can have on this kind of day where it’s very windy. He’s so quick, he constantly makes you play. He’s also a very smart player. On the grass, he knows how to use the slice and the angles.”

Djokovic’s analysis was typically astute. With Roger Federer watching on from the royal box, something Djokovic claims has acted previously as a “curse” on his performance, De Minaur was dynamic, agile and clever. He could keep up with Djokovic’s power easily enough but could also read his range, responding to the lobs, drop shots and switches of side sharply. He bossed the longer rallies. His own error count was low and he bounced his way into the second set.

Djokovic then did what he has almost always done in moments of adversity: he doubled down and turned the screw. The very first point of the second set was a blitz of furious stroke-making and the former world No 1 secured a break of serve at the first time of asking.

To De Minaur’s credit he broke back straight away, but this was an arduous affair of seven deuces. Djokovic then stepped up and broke again. A second huge effort brought De Minaur level again but at 3-3 Djokovic broke him once more, this time to love and with the winning shot a delightful backhand slice across court that left the younger man frozen on his feet. As the Serb closed out the second set to level things up the familiar sense of inevitability began to rise.

The third set went with serve for 10 games, but the sense of De Minaur having to scramble just to keep up was growing. Djokovic’s first‑serve percentage was at 80%, up from 48% in the first set. At the crucial juncture of 4-4 and with increasingly little room for error, the pressure finally told. Djokovic won a scintillating rally at 15-30 with a jaw-dropping volley on the slide back across himself, and then his opponent delivered a gift of a loose forehand to seal the break. A couple more errors from De Minaur and the third set was gone.

Djokovic took his foot off the pedal for a moment at the start of the fourth and De Minaur stole a break of serve. He held it too, for a service game at least. At 4-2 it was all on the line and De Minaur found his best level for a final time, holding Djokovic to account in the rallies. It was not enough, though.

By now Djokovic was hitting so well that he did not need to find a winner, just gradually, incrementally turn up the pressure in his favour. And so 4-2 became 4-3 then 4-4. In the blink of an eye he broke again and served out the match. All that early drama seemed a long way away.

Djokovic is revving up for the opportunity to compete for the title once more. “I think I do have a chance – there’s no doubt about it,” he said.

“I’ve been playing some really good tennis this year. So I feel good about myself. I feel confident. I feel motivated to go all the way. Let’s see what happens.”

Sport officials, regardless of which code they supervise, are appointed to be impartial figures.

They have to quickly interpret infractions, adjudicate rules and communicate commands, all while maintaining the highest levels of objectivity and sense – not to mention the fitness required.

So, what does it take to become a sport official at the elite level, such as NRL referees or AFL umpires?

And why do so many sports fans think these officials are at fault when their team keeps getting penalised?

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It’s harder than you think

Recently, there were calls for Ashley Klein to be stripped of officiating duties for the third and final rugby league State of Origin clash after NRL commentators queried a one-sided penalty count in the Maroons’ favour during game two in Perth.

Likewise, the AFL recently faced criticism when video evidence revealed Collingwood’s Lachie Schultz had suffered a concussion, but the umpires in charge failed to stop play immediately, as they should have.

Every week, fans also voice their displeasure at perceived injustices, whether that be at the ground, watching on TV or venting on social media.

However, very few people fully understand the complexity or intricacies of what it takes to perform a sport official’s role, particularly at the elite level.

Elite officials must have detailed rule knowledge, incredible physical and mental fitness and be composed regardless of crowd pressure. They must be able to instantly move on from any mistakes made.

They also need situational awareness and a level of calmness to effectively supervise two groups of competitors fiercely battling against each other in these highly charged environments.

Figuratively speaking, this can be like emergency department (ED) doctors or air traffic controllers, who are required to manage multiple events and competing task demands in a calm and consistent manner.

Even though elite officials don’t work continuously for long hours like ED doctors or pilots – the total playing time of most of our winter sporting codes is generally between 90-120 minutes – the level of concentration, composure and mental toughness required is immense.

Making good decisions when both players and the ball are constantly shifting position also requires exceptional game understanding and an ability to convey decisions that are appropriate to the game context.

In other words, elite referees operate in situations in which time pressure, stress and high risk decision-making are always present.

So who would want to perform a role where coaches, fans and some sections of the media continually question your knowledge, integrity and skills?

Professional or part-time?

Currently, of Australia’s major winter codes, only the NRL has a full quota of referees who are full time, paid professionals.

Soccer’s A-League has a small group of full-time officials and an impressive number of top officials are part of FIFA’s panel of international referees. Yet, most A-League referees are part-time operators.

Similarly, Rugby Australia has a small team of full-time professional referees who are appointed to Super League games and international matches not involving Australia, but most are part-timers.

In the AFL, most umpires work part-time, with pressure mounting on the league to transition its umpires into full-time positions as ongoing criticisms over controversial decisions continue to grow.

What elite officials get paid can be shrouded in secrecy but AFL field umpires reportedly earn A$120–130,000 each year while the best NRL referees earn more than $300,000 each season.

Current pathways into the top level for most sporting codes require extensive apprenticeships in lower grades.

To reach those top pay levels, extensive on-field experience in lower grades is required. Those who stand out are selected in high-performance squads where specialist coaching is provided.

An often thankless task

So, do you think you have what it takes to be an elite sports official?

Could you maintain an optimal level of physical and cognitive performance while running at high speeds when you know every decision you make can be reviewed by video technology and re-watched in slow motion at one 25th of a second?

It might be good to remember most decisions in sport are not black and white.

Referees are human. They make mistakes. Sometimes they have to follow a policy or refereeing method they might not agree with.

However, what we need to remember before we shout at them during a game is elite officials are trying to make games as fair, open, free flowing and entertaining as possible as they strive to impartially apply the rules of the game.