SHAME: Tennis Australia seems broke, not paying ball kids at the first Grand Slam
Tennis Australian and Australian Open hit another controversy after it was revealed that the ball kids are getting freebies instead of actual payment.
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Ball kids during an Australian Open match
Australian Open is the most-awaited tournament in the tennis calendar. The first Grand Slam of the season is special in more than one way. It sets the pace for the season, gives all the participants a chance to start fresh, and rewards the players grinding under the unforgiving temperatures of peak Australian summer.
But in the last couple of years, the Slam has come under because of some unwanted bad press. First, the embarrassing deportation saga of Novak Djokovic maligned it with mismanagement though the government had a bigger role to play. Later due to covid induced restrictions the finances dried up and there were even talks of moving the tournament away from Melbourne.
As the players are fighting hard against their opponent and the erratic weather at the same time, it’s the issue of ill-treatment of the ball kids has flared up again. The ball kids, though not celebrated for their hard work, they play an important role in keeping the game moving. Tennis Australian and the tournament has come into the fire this time for non-payment of them causing an uproar in various corner.
The controversy erupted this week when fans discovered the ball kids are getting no payment for their services.
What is the exact controversy about the ball kids in the Australian Open?
The job of ball kids is not an easy one. On the court, the crowd cheers the players for their incredible defense and bullet-paced aces but these ball kids emulate each and every step of the competing stars to keep the game moving. Other than the demanding job, their selection too is not very easy with a low chance of being picked up.
Around 2,500 kids apply to be ball kids every year, with less than one in five of them actually succeeding. Instead of paying them the actual salary they are getting some freebies for running around all the corners of the court and sometimes facing the risk of getting hit or coming in way of the wrath of angry stars.
Some of the observers tried to bring the issue to the attention of the organizers but not without showing their astonishment and anger. One Reddit user linked the non-payment with child exploitation, which may not be far from reality. As the Australian Open announced the biggest increase in the prize pool for the players, coughing out some dollars for the ball kids should not be too much to ask for.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)