INSIDE - USTA.com

I NY that
US Open Ballperson:
Chandler Furman, age 16, Woodinville, Wash.
Each year the USTA Pacifi c Northwest offers scholarships for juniors who wish to be ballpersons
at the US Open. This year I was fortunate enough to be selected along with Paul Sherman.
Before I made this trip to New York City, I had only spent one day there during a trip with my
family to New England. It was great to go back and experience more of the largest city in the
United States and see the best tennis players in the world do battle on court.
As with all rookie ballpersons, we arrived in New York a week before the actual tournament
began so that we could participate in a training and orientation at USTA Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center. I was joined by about one hundred ballpersons who like me were new
to the job. Rather than “ballkids” we are referred to as “ballpersons” because while most us
were in the 16-18 age range, the oldest was in his 50s and the youngest was 14. Some veterans
have been ballpersons for 15 years.
The organizers of the orientation and training sent us rookies to fi ve of the outer courts to
participate in some drills. At the national tennis center there are three stadium courts known
as “Arthur Ashe”, “Louis Armstrong” and the “Grandstand”. The other courts, Nos. 4 through
18, are simply known as the “outer courts.”
During the drills we were grouped into squads of six which is the number of ballpersons
needed to work a court as four are referred to as “Backs” (those who stand at the back of the
court behind the baseline) and two are “Nets” (those that kneel at the net posts). Each squad
spent about 20 minutes on court and those of us participating in the drills were critiqued by
the people running the ballperson training. The atmosphere was tense because the organizers
had told us that they would still be making some cuts during the day’s training session. At the
end of the session they had cut about fi ve out of the one hundred people there. Fortunately, I
was not one of them.
From a ballperson perspective, there is one very unique thing about the US Open. In the other
Grand Slam tournaments (as well as most ATP and WTA Tour tournaments), the “Backs” roll
the balls to the “Nets” who in turn roll the ball to the Back on the other side. At the US Open,
Backs throw the balls the length of the court to the other Backs thus bypassing the Nets. This
makes the job of the Nets much easier because they only have to worry about getting the balls
Ah, New York City! From its worldfamous
landmarks to its rich cultural
diversity to its exquisite food and its
extraordinary shops, New York, New
York is an amazing place. However
there is one particular time of year
when the city is especially amazing.
As summer turns to fall, the world’s
top tennis players fl ock to Flushing
Meadows where they compete for the
fi nal Grand Slam of the year at the US
Open. My experience as a ballperson
at this year’s US Open was the most unbelievable experience I have ever had.
The ballperson experience was challenging but rewarding and fun. My typical day as a
ballperson at the US Open looked something like this: I would head to the Open at about 9
a.m. via the B, D, or 7 subway trains from where I was staying in midtown Manhattan to
Flushing Meadows in Queens. After arriving, I would check in at the “perch,” the meeting
area for all 280 ballpersons and wait until about 10:30 a.m. I would then be assigned to a
court with fi ve other ballpersons to work a match starting at 11 a.m.
After my first match, I would get about an
hour and a half break to eat lunch, hang out with
new friends, or watch other matches that were in
progress. Afterwards, I would return to the perch
for my next match assignment. At 6 p.m., I would
check out, get my reporting time for the next day
and watch a few more matches before fi nally heading
back to Manhattan around 10 p.m. After I got
off the subway I would have a late New York-style
dinner and go to bed exhausted but exhilarated
from the day’s jam-packed schedule and the idea
the players hit into the net.
The day after the orientation was a day
off for most of the ballpersons but not for
me. I had to go to the Department of Education
(D.O.E.) in Manhattan to get a work
permit from the City of New York because
the ballpersons are paid for working at the
US Open and child labor laws apply.
I met with a D.O.E. Offi cial and after he
made sure I was not missing school and I
had completed the proper paperwork, I was
given permission to work in NYC for the
next two weeks.
After working the qualifying rounds of
the US Open, I noticed that the atmosphere
on the fi rst day of the main draw was a lot
different. Suddenly the crowds were a lot Furman made a stop in Times Square.
bigger and there was a lot of anticipation
for each day’s matches. On the fi rst few days they would put some of the seeded players on
the outer courts where the spectators could watch the play up close but by the middle of the
tournament, all of the top players had their matches in the stadium courts.
When I wasn’t working I would go watch matches, check to see who was hitting on the
practice courts (I got to see Andy Roddick and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga up close), or hang out in
the ballperson lounge. The ballperson lounge was located off of the tunnel where the players
had to walk to reach the Louis Armstrong Stadium and Grandstand courts. I saw the big
name players in the tunnel often.
The most unique assignment I was given during my time as a ballperson was to work in
“the pits” of Arthur Ashe Stadium. This is literally a hole at the end of the court just above
court level that is normally reserved for photographers. My job was to get any balls that
were hit there and throw them back out. It was easy work because I got to watch a lot of
tennis from a good vantage point and only two balls went through the opening during the
three matches that I worked down there.
I want to thank the USTA Pacific Northwest for giving me this great opportunity.
Thanks to my Uncle Steve and Aunt Stephanie for letting me stay at their home and my
grandpa for making the trip to New York with me. It was a very memorable experience
and I look forward to going back next year…this time as a veteran ballperson! �
US Open Ballperson: Paul Sherman, age 16, Medina, Wash.
While taking time off from his busy schedule
to see the sights of NYC, Sherman coincidentally
met tennis great Billie Jean King.
that I would get to do it all over again the next day.
Working as a ballperson, I defi nitely learned team skills. When on court, I had to work
together with everyone including the other fi ve ballpersons, the linesmen, the chair umpire
and of course, the players. Matches move quickly and I had to be super focused on the court
at all times. At every moment, I had to be alert and keep track of what side the balls were
on and where I had to throw them. I also had to take care of the player’s needs before taking
care of my own. The faster and harder I worked on the court, the smoother the match ran for
everyone. As a ballperson, I had many responsibilities to do my part quickly and effi ciently.
The US Open experience was awesome. Unexpectedly, I found the fi rst week to be special.
This is when lower-ranked players compete to qualify for the main draw. Observing the up
and comers, I got a sense of how hard tennis players work and have to fi ght to follow the road
to greatness. I enjoyed watching and working with players who are not seen on television.
Furthermore, it was during this qualifying week that I saw nearly all the top 20 ranked
men and women including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Amelie Mauresmo
go through practice with their coaches and other tournament preparation before the public
would come to see them compete for a US Open championship.
Although I spent all but two of my days in New York at the Open, I toured as much of the
city as I could. I saw the great museums and monuments of Manhattan such as the American
Museum of Natural History, Ground Zero, Times Square, and the fairly new Time-Warner
Building. It was there that by pure luck and coincidence I met Billie Jean King. A local television
reporter interviewed me about being a ballperson at the US Open and my thoughts
about women’s tennis today.
Personally, I gained so much from working as a ballperson at the 2008 US Open. I obtained
new knowledge about how to play and appreciate tennis and have become more mature and
self-reliant as I learned to ride the subway alone and fend for myself in a large city. Also, I
feel a greater sense of motivation to become the best tennis player I can be. The experience
gives you the opportunity to become independent and assess your personal development in
terms of strokes and fundamentals.
When the scholarship application appears on the USTA Pacifi c Northwest website next
year, I highly recommend that junior tennis enthusiasts apply to be a ballperson. It is a
tremendous experience! As Tina Taps, Director of US Open Ballpersons says, “Working at
the US Open is not just a job but an incredible opportunity to be involved in the greatest
tennis event in the world.” �
www.pnw.usta.com � WINTER 2008/09 TENNIS TIMES
17