Ball Boy Revels In Sharing Court with Rafa

A 14-year-old boy from Palm Desert Middle School had his dream come true when he was chosen to be one of the ball kids for Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“Ball kidding for Rafael Nadal has been an honor because he is my favorite tennis player, and it’s something that not everyone gets a chance to experience,” Juan Ospina said.

Juan Ospina and 289 other children were selected out of over 400 applications that were received to become a ball kid during this year’s tournament.

Something different in the selection process this year was the enforcement of the minimum age requirement being 12 years old. This change naturally helped to narrow down the amount of kids participating, First-Year Program Director Adam Jasick explains.

“Other than the age minimum, the only other requirement to become a ball kid is being physically able, and having the time to dedicate, as it is a big commitment,” Jasick said.

Once selected these boys and girls, ranging in age from 10 through 20, began training a month before the tournament started. They learned how to roll the tennis ball to other, and how to feed the ball to a player, as well as essential multi-tasking skills.

 “Being a ball kid is a lot harder than it looks;  you have to be very fast and service the player as quickly as possible, while doing the other things required by your position,” 16 year old ball kid Emily Sontag from Yucaipa High said.

Each match up to 10 ball kids work,  and they rotate between game changeovers as only six positions are on the court. Other tasks include shading the players from the sun during changeovers, providing towels, and any other needs a player might have.

As ball kids progress through the tournament they begin to learn each tennis player’s specific requests.

“You have to be vigilant about where all the balls are, some players want the ball they last played with, if they won the point. Some want all their balls on a certain side, or an equal amount of balls on either side of them,” Ospina explains.

“It’s a lot of work, but it is worth it because it is so much fun,” Emily Sontag said. “This was my second year being a ball kid, and I am definitely going to apply again next year.”

For those interested in becoming a ball kid, preparations for next year is already well on its way. For more information please contact Program Director Adam Jesick at ajasick@iwtg.net