As the Australian Open celebrates 100 years of women competing in the event, 14-year-old Lucy Bassett from Yarrawonga, three and a half hours from Melbourne, is living out her dream of being a ball kid.
"I love playing tennis," she said.
She is one of 380 ball kids who were selected for this year's squad.
Tennis Australia's Ball Kid Strategy and Operations lead Elise Mace said there was a rigorous selection process that involved two rounds of trials, the first held at local clubs then at the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park.
"We get thousands of kids that apply every year," she said.
"We assess our ball kids on their court movement, their rolling, their player servicing, their concentration, and of course their behaviour and how they and how they uphold our Tennis Australia values."
This year girls made up 42 per cent of the squad and Ms Mace said interest was growing.
"We do tend to have more boys apply … but we're planning for next year to achieve a 50-50 gender split in our program," she said.
COVID challenges
COVID has posed some challenges in the lead-up to the Australian Open with on-court training for the selected ball kids delayed by three months.
"We do try to teach them as much as we can during training but that was a big challenge during COVID," Ms Mace said.
Masks are worn on court and ball kids are required to take a COVID test daily to ensure safety.
Interactions with players are also limited with Tennis Australia making the decision to stop ball kids handling player towels.
Despite this, Lucy has still rubbed shoulders with some of her idols.
"My favourite player is Ash Barty … but I got to ball kid Gael Monfils. He's the 17th seed from France so that's been pretty cool and the atmosphere was crazy," she said.
Big commitment
Lucy and her family have been staying in a Melbourne motel at their own expense to make her dream come true.
She said in the three weeks she's been a ball girl she's only had two days off.
"We get paid back in experience," Lucy said.
"The crowds are amazing, the atmosphere while you're on the court is so good," she said.
Ms Mace said the hundreds of kids who volunteer their time each year are a vital part of the event and their dedication does not go unrecognised.
"They are integral in making sure the speed of play and broadcast runs smoothly," she said.
Rod Laver Arena will feature a full ball girl squad tonight to celebrate a century of women in the sport.
