Forget center court – this past weekend, all eyes were on the sidelines at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where more than 500 aspiring ball kids and adults competed for a different kind of dream: a coveted spot on the 2025 US Open Ball Crew.
On June 20-22, more than 1,600 applicants, kids aged from 14 and up, were sprinting to make the cut as there were only 80 positions eager to be filled.
Participants were tested on agility, speed, rolling, and court awareness – skills that soon will be on full display in front of packed stadiums and millions of viewers.
For many trying out, the appeal goes far beyond chasing balls — it is the rare chance to get up close to their tennis idols. With the world’s top players set to compete in Flushing later this summer, the thought of standing just feet away from tennis royalty was enough to fuel some serious hustle on the courts.
“The reason I want this is, I get to meet my favorite players and I get to use tennis to make good connections with players that I can use my whole life,” said one of the aspiring ball crew members.
For many of those teens and adults participating, the experience was also a way to be part of one of New York’s biggest sporting traditions —and maybe to snag the best view of tennis history in the making.
“Being a ball boy, you have the best seats in the house. It doesn’t get much better than that,” said one of the hopeful kids.
The ball crew members earn an hourly wage — but for most of the kids on the court, the experience is priceless. From getting a front-row seat to world class matches to standing inches from their favorite players, it is a Summer job unlike any other.
The U.S. open tennis championship will be held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7. All tennis fans will congregate in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Grounds passes and general admission tickets are available now on ticketmaster.com/usopentennis starting in the low hundreds.
Matches will be running all day and night so fans can experience quality tennis from morning sessions under the sun to evening showdown’s under the stadium lights.
