Ballkids enjoy a front-row seat to the China Open

The energy is impossible to miss.

Shoes squeak. Tennis balls bounce and fly between kids. Laughter cuts through the room as many of the 231 young volunteers from China, France and Australia fill the ball kids’ lounge in the basement of Diamond Court. The ball kids range in age from 10 to 17, but they share a love of tennis and the thrill of being part of the action at one of the sport’s biggest stops, the China Open.

“Being a ball kid at the China Open makes me very happy,” 13-year-old Lei Jinxuan said.

For all the attention on the athletes, the ballkids are an essential part of what happens once the match begins.

Six ballkids work together on each court, constantly communicating with one another while keeping an eye on the players. They use a series of signals to determine who will run for a ball, who will retrieve one from the net and who will deliver a ball to the server.

Every movement has a purpose. Every signal has a meaning. And for the kids in the lounge, every trip onto the court is a chance to be part of the China Open.

“This is my second year, and I wanted to come back and continue being a ball kid,” Lei said.

Becoming a ball kid is no simple tryout. Volunteers go through multiple stages of assessment, including open auditions and training camps in the months leading up to the tournament.

Most of the ball kids are from China, but the China Open’s program has become international. Young volunteers also travel to Beijing from Australia and France through partnerships established with the Australian Open in 2012 and Roland Garros in 2013.

And for many, one year is not enough. Ball kids such as Lei return year after year, drawn back by the friendships they make and the chance to be so close to the sport they love.

“If you look at this program, there are so many returning kids every year,” said Chloe Rong, who is the senior manager of competition for China Open Promotions Limited Company and oversees court services and the ball kids operations. “I would say half of my kids are returning for three years or even four years. They gain friendship, they receive the opportunity to be on court, to cooperate, and they all love tennis.”

For the ball kids, the China Open is about more than chasing down tennis balls. Between matches, they might find themselves celebrating a birthday with a professional player, meeting one of the sport’s biggest stars or sharing a moment with friends they have come to know over the years.

Rong has worked to make those moments part of the experience, with the goal of making the young volunteers feel at home, even when some have traveled thousands of miles to be in Beijing.

“Each year we’re going to hold maybe two to three player-related activities,” Rong said. “We had an interaction with Novak Djokovic. It’s kind of a tradition; we’ve been doing it for many years.”

For some ball kids, the tournament also includes a birthday celebration. With multiple rounds of volunteering each day, Rong looks for ways to make sure the kids feel appreciated, whether they are on the court or back in the lounge.

Karen Khachanov, for example, has visited the ball kids’ lounge to celebrate birthdays with the kids.

“We just want to make every day fulfilling and fun,” Rong said.

But for the ballkids, it is what happens on the court that can make the experience unforgettable.

Courtside, they are close enough to the players to see the smallest moments that spectators might miss.

For 11-year-old ball boy George Li, one such moment came while he was holding an umbrella for a player. His effort caught the attention of French player Arthur Gea.

“I held an umbrella for a player,” Li said. “The player kept giving me thumbs ups.”

For returning 12-year-old ball girl Zoe Yang, it was a different kind of interaction. While working on Lotus Court, her shoelace came undone. Zhang Zhizhen noticed.

Off the court, Yang is an ordinary sixth-grade student. This year, her school gave students a 13-day break for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday. She used the time away from school to return to Beijing and serve as a ball girl.

For these young volunteers, the China Open offers a front-row view of the sport they love. And for some, the experience is beginning to shape what comes next.

“In the future, I’d like to become a ball kid trainer,” Lei said.

For some, the experience will last far beyond the final point.

For a few weeks, these young volunteers are part of the tournament. But for some of them, the tournament may become part of who they are.

By Emerson Chaloux, Xiu Jiayi Xiu, and Zhao Yiwei