Sören Friemel, former Vice President at APG, and one of the most respected figures in international tennis officiating. With a career spanning more than 30 years, he has combined on-court leadership with senior governance roles that shaped officiating worldwide.

From 2014 to 2022, Friemel was Head of Officiating at the International Tennis Federation, overseeing global training, certification, and rule enforcement. He also held senior roles at the US Open, serving as Chief of Officials (2016–2018) and Tournament Referee (2019–2020). His integrity was most visible during the 2020 Djokovic disqualification, when he applied the rules impartially in one of tennis’s most high-profile incidents.

Friemel began his career in Germany, modernising national officiating structures and consulting for the German Tennis Federation. He later co-developed Tennis-Ticker, an innovative live scoring system.

A fluent English speaker and native German, Friemel is recognised globally for his fairness, expertise, and governance leadership in sport.