Securing a spot on the courts during the U.S. Open has to be earned. And while you may not be clocking a serve speed of 122 mph, there is one way to share the court with the top seeds…
When I was offered the chance to try out for a coveted spot on the court as a ballperson at this year’s U.S. Open, I jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t want to be mere feet away from Serena Williams and Roger Federer?
My tryouts began at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the end of June, a good two months before players would start flocking to the grounds for the start of the Open—and about 10 degrees cooler. Like any large stadium before the main event begins, the area was eerily quiet—just a few construction workers, boarded up concessions stands and me. When I got to the smaller practice courts where the try-outs would take place, I changed into the official Ralph Lauren ballperson uniform and my confidence immediately surged. I looked the part and was ready to hit the courts.
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There are two kinds of ball people: those who stand at the net and those who are at the baseline, or “back,” position. I tried out for both. I had to impress Cathie Delaney, the U.S. Open Assistant Ballperson Director, who would be conducting my tryout. She described the set of drills that were carefully formulated to test running, throwing and catching skills—or rather, speed, strength and accuracy.
After fifteen minutes of sprinting to pick up the balls Delaney tossed at the net (“Faster!” “Use both hands!”), attempting to throw balls across the court (“Farther!”) and catching balls after a single bounce (“One bounce, not two!”), my dreams of sharing the court with Serena were put on hold. As Delaney gently (and jokingly) wrote on my evaluation, my skills “require some work.”
Luckily, I’ve got plenty of time to practice: anyone older than 14 can try out for what the USTA bills as “the coolest summer job in sports.” And while the median ballperson age is 16, a 65-year-old worked the courts just two years ago. Time to start training for 2016!
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