By Cynthia K., Grade 8 student 

Being a ball kid isn’t easy as you might think it is. It’s not just about simply standing and kneeling; there are countless strict instructions you have to follow. You need to stand with your head up and your hands behind your back; you need to kneel without sitting or leaning on either of your legs in a lunge position, and both of your legs must be at a 90 degrees angle; your provided ball must have a parabola that makes the ball only have bounce once and reach the player’s waist level; your ball roll must be fast, steady, and accurate, not bouncing or go sideways. In the standing and kneeling positions, you must not move and not look around, even in extreme heat; and if a single person messes up, everyone has to do it again. This is the harsh reality of the training camp. After eliminations, only 20% will be recruited, and I’m glad to be part of it. 

The moment I stood onto Center Court at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, I looked at the grandstands filled with over 10,000 people watching and felt that all the sweat, exhaustion, and hard work in training was worth it. My perseverance paid off, and I had many unforgettable experiences. I will never forget the time a player’s team wanted a bottle of water, and the assistant umpire didn’t notice the chair umpire’s gestures, so with my careful observation, I grabbed a water without the chair umpire instructing me to and ran straight to the coaches, and when I got back to my position at the net, the chair umpire gave me a thumbs-up of affirmation; I will never forget the trust that player put into me when they always ask me for the towel and the ball when they win a point; I will never forget how the audience cheered so loud for Zhou Yi when he won the second set after losing the first to Hurkacz that I could feel my eardrums vibrating; I will never forget how Alejandro Davidovich Fokina persevered in every match, how he gave his all at every point, how he didn’t give up even a second although he lost the first set in a match, how he manages to turn the tables in any match and win the final champion. 

Even though I will never stand on Center Court as a professional player one day, I am proud that I can serve the top players of the world in a competition like this. This experience was unforgettable, moreover, it taught me how to stay focused on a task even under the pressure of many spectators. Ball kids are not the main characters, but they are the invisible protectors of the court, ensuring that every match runs smoothly. I hope that one day I will be able to stand on a Grand Slam court as a ball kid and take on challenges of a higher standard.