TWO young tennis enthusiasts were part of the largest ever squad of ballkids working the Australian Open in January this year.
Mercedes Kaiser-Leal and Aaron Williams joined 426 other ballkids at the event, having successfully passed through a selection process that began in May last year.
“A lot of work goes on behind the scenes with training and trials, we were making the trip back and forth from Melbourne once a month from July until November,” Lesley Williams, Aaron’s mum said.
“There were a lot of really early mornings to catch the bus and train, and then travelling back on a Sunday to be home in time for school and work.
“That’s the sacrifice you have to make being from a regional town far from the city, but seeing Aaron putting in all of that hard work and being so happy at the Australian Open made it all worth it.
“These are the kinds of opportunities that are going to widen his future, and for me as a parent seeing him flourish like that and build his confidence, I’m just really proud of him.”
This was the second time that both Mercedes and Aaron had tried out to be part of the Australian Open’s ballkids team.
“Both of my kids were selected to the trial in Melbourne but weren’t selected for the ballkid program last time, so this was a big surprise,” Carolina Kaiser, Mercedes’ mum said.
“There were a lot of learning experiences, the first night the matches didn’t finish until late and being from Mildura, we didn’t know there were no trains running at the time so we had to call a taxi.
“Even though there were some days that were difficult it’s all part of being there, and Mercedes really loved the experience.
“She was able to high five one of the players, and had the chance to be part of a few different places like the Kia Arena and meet and work for players in the top 20.
“For a first time ballkid who doesn’t really know anyone it can be a bit scary but a lot of effort goes into helping them feel welcome as part of the ballkid family.
“The kids are also all encouraged to get to know each other, you meet a lot of people from different places and usually the teams are different every day so there’s opportunities to get to know each other better.
“It’s a beautiful experience, while it’s something that you need to be willing to commit a lot to overall I think it’s a memory that will last forever for them.”
