By Shelby Brooks
Two young tennis lovers from Cranbourne are proving themselves on the world stage as ballkids for the Australian Open.
Fourteen-year-old Charvi Shetty from Clyde North plays for Haileybury College and Cranbourne Tennis Club.
She has been playing tennis for 10 years.
“I wanted to become a ballkid because I love playing and watching tennis, and to be able to have the best seats ever to watch my tennis idols is a dream come true,” she said.
“This is my second year of being a ballkid and the reason I came back is because I extremely enjoyed my experience during my first year and wanted to have an even better time this year.”
Charvi explained aspiring ball kids partook in many trials in which they were assessed on their ballkid skills.
“It was a bit intimidating, but I’m glad to be selected into the squad,” she said.
She said the hardest part of being a ballkid was dealing with the extreme heat while on court, as it often became very tiring.
“But the most fun part is experiencing incredible matches, especially with a fun and loud crowd.
“I would most like to assist Nick Kyrgios on the court. He’s an amazing player, true entertainer and a crowd puller.
“I love tennis because I’ve always found the game so interesting and influential to sport. I would love to become a tennis player one day.”
Walker, 15, lives in Cranbourne North and plays for Cranbourne Tennis Club. He has been playing tennis for seven years.
He was inspired to become a ballkid by other friends at his tennis club who had previously served at the Australian Open.
“I thought it would be fun to try and we really enjoyed it,” he said.
After filling in an application, the kids have to go through knockout and training sessions over the course of nine months to be selected, and then they’re ready to perform as a ballkid.
“I love tennis because it is so different to many other sports and I believe it takes the most skill so learn.
“My goal is to become a professional tennis player.
“I really want to be a ballkid for Jannik Sinner because he is a very young player and I think he will be the future of tennis.”
