As the Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park, it won’t just be players, officials and administrators who are nervous. The hundreds of ball boys and girls, who for decades have been an integral part of the Open, will be enduring their share of sleepless nights as well.
Ball boys and girls play and important functional role in tennis – collecting and distributing tennis balls and managing players’ towels – but they also bring to the sport some memorable and often light-hearted moments, such as when Tommy Haas finished his match early on Day 3 of the 2009 Wimbledon tournament and spent a few minutes playing against the ball boys and girls.
But as well as providing a service to the game – and reminding us that sport is just that, a game – the ability for kids to perform important functions up close to their idols presents an unrivalled opportunity for the game to create lifelong fans and participants (some at the professional level).
Ball boys exist in other sports, such as basketball and baseball, but golf – a sport that treats itself more seriously than almost any other – has nothing similar. Positions “inside the ropes” are reserved for officials and a limited number of high paying sponsors.
There are opportunities to involve boys and girls during tournaments. The most obvious of these is to get them to fill divots and rake bunkers after each group has cleared the fairway or green.
Not only would this level of involvement help achieve what it has in sports such as tennis, but it might also speed up the pace of play.
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
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