Ballkids

420 ballkids are selected from a field of thousands of applicants – each desperately
hoping to be part of the Australian Open. Being there is like winning the lottery for these tennis keeners, but – instead of luck – they earn the prize through intense training regimes and delivering almost perfect performances. The ballkid trials are conducted in Melbourne annually, with interstate and international hopefuls expected to travel if they want to be taken seriously. But selection is only the first hurdle. Once at the Australian Open, all 420 ballkids vie to make it onto centre court and, eventually, earn the prestige of being chosen for the biggest stage of them all - the men’s and women’s grand final. Each with their own internal struggles, they must overcome heat, long hours, new found independence and an ever increasing demand for perfection.