With tennis stars like Serena Williams, Coco Gauff and Rafael Nadal on the court, it’s hard to look away. But if you do, you’ll find another major player, the US Open Ball Crew, blending into the background.
We’ve all seen them on tennis broadcasts: they dash toward the net to retrieve a botched serve, bounce the ball off a player for a second shot, and slap a mate. crew to roll the ball. And they do all this without breaking the flow of the game.
So what does it feel like to be a ball boy on the biggest stage in sports? We looked at how to get a gig and what preparation work you do to make it possible. Well, what if you literally dropped the ball, and what it looked like when Williams threw it in its historic final win.
SELF: You have been selected as one of the members of the Ball Crew to take to the court for Serena Williams’ final victory. what was it like?
Emerson Odaguis: It was a true bucket list item for me. I see her on TV all the time so I can see how strong and powerful she is and see her up close. It was just an honor and a privilege to be able to help her.
What was her serve like when you got so close?
It looks like a blink of an eye. It’s gone before you see it. You see it rise and it flies past you in the blink of an eye, so you know you have to turn around. She was serving the ball at 115 mph, which is pretty fast.
How were you selected for the Ball Crew?
I’ve been a fan of tennis since I was little, but I realized I wasn’t going to play at the US Open as a player. So earlier this year I found a Ball Crew application online. I applied and included my tennis history, saying I had played tennis. And we talked about my knowledge of what a ball person does and how I thought I would be a good asset to the ball crew. , was invited to New York City to try it out.
What was the tryout process like?
The tryout process for me was a day and took about an hour. They wanted to know if we got the game right. [the balls], because that’s an important part of being a ball boy. Because when you go out on court, you have to be aware that you need to avoid nets, players’ bags, chairs, etc. Watching it on TV is harder than you think.
