IN 2001, Jack Harris came to Wimbledon as a wet-behind-the-ears line judge. He was excited, yet nervous beyond belief. After all, it's not exactly easy deciding in a split second whether a ball walloped at anything up to 155 miles an hour is in or out, risking the wrath of some of sport's most notoriously volatile characters if you get it wrong.

Eight years on and the 24-year old tennis official from Exeter is back at Wimbledon once again, only now he is recognised within the game as one of the best at his job. Long gone are the days when Harris was a lowly L5, the beginner's grade for those calling the lines. Now he's an L1, one of the elite few qualified to officiate in big matches around the world involving the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Andy Murray.

He's come a long way but, as the old cliché goes, you're only as good as your last game. The pressure to get it right, particularly in the searing heat that Wimbledon experienced through the opening days of these championships, is immense. That said, Harris manages to keep a healthy sense of perspective over proceedings.

"I love it as much now as I did when I first came here, if anything even more," he says. "I count myself lucky to be able to come back every year and be part of this tournament. Yes, there's pressure, but you have to enjoy it. Every official, whether they are new to it or experienced, is going to get potential conflict with players. It's just how you deal with it, how you communicate between yourself and the chair umpire. Not every player is going to agree with your call. You just have to remember your training and call it as you see it."

Harris started out on the road to Wimbledon while he was studying at Ivybridge Community College. It was there that a teacher put his name down for a taster course in line-judging, the overall aim being to encourage more young people to become umpires and line judges. He had good concentration, a good voice, excellent eyesight (all line judges have to supply the All England Club with eye test results each year) and learned at an early stage the secret to doing it right – watch the line, not the ball. Six months later he was calling the lines at the All England Club during the 2001 championships.

Since then it has been one meteoric rise for Harris, culminating in him becoming an L1 earlier this year. All of which begs a question – will he be chosen as a line judge for one of the big Wimbledon finals this coming weekend?

"That, of course, is every line judge's dream, to be part of a final. Yes, to get the chance to do that would be fantastic. Last year was the first time that I had been on Centre Court and it was surreal then. You walk out and it's packed with 15,000 people. That was for a [Rafael] Nadal match in the early rounds. It's great to be part of something like that at any stage of the tournament, but to get a final would be incredible."