By Marcus Uhe
As Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev to claim a record-breaking 21st grand slam title at the Australian Open last month, Rajvir Singh had one of the best views in the house.
The Casey Grammar School student took the occasion in from the base line as a ballkid for the marathon five-set finale, which concluded after 1am before post-match presentations could begin.
“When I saw Nadal two sets down I thought this was going to be an early night,” Mr Singh said.
“I arrived home at 3:30 in the morning, so I decided to go to school late (the next day) missing my first two classes.”
A self-confessed massive tennis fan, he recounted the moment he learnt of his incredible assignment, which left him “speechless”.
“I remember this like it was yesterday.
“They had sent an email notifying us that the final squad announcement will be released in a couple of days.
“When the day had come I carefully watched the video to see if my name was there.
“When it came to the men’s finals’ squad, I saw my name, I jumped in excitement as I was grateful that all my effort within the two weeks had paid off.”
It was the longest match he had ever assisted with but it was a fitting way to finish his ballkid career after two years standing at the back of the court.
Mr Singh is no stranger to the big stage, having been assigned to last year’s women’s final between Japan’s Naomi Osaka and the United States’ Jennifer Brady after winning ballkid rookie of the year honours for best first year ballkid.
However, that contest was a little more straight-forward, with the Japanese star comfortably handling the occasion with a straight sets victory in just 77 minutes, more than four hours shorter than the Nadal-Medvedev tussle.
While no doubt a highlight of his career, he said assisting players such as 2022 Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty, seven-time Australian Open winner Serena Williams and 2020 men’s finalist Dominic Theim would live long in his memory.
“Sadly, this was my last year a ballkid.
“I wish I had started ballkids when I was younger, but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that I received and this was a dream come true.”
