Ball Boys and Girls: U.S. Open's Underappreciated Athletes

While the U.S. Open attracts some of the best and brightest athletes in the world to fill out its bracket, I had no idea that also applies to the ball boys and ball girls who work the tennis matches during the tournament, which runs this year between August 25 and September 7.

After chasing ball after ball across the court at the annual tryouts yesterday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, I quickly learned my lesson. I was among 350 candidates competing for the job, about 200 of whom will be called back for interviews and further tryouts over the next two weeks. Between 75 and 100 of us will make it, and, with returning veterans, more than 275 in all will work the matches.

The tryouts involved every aspect of sport, including running, throwing, catching, and, for some, doubling over to get some air when it was all over.

That didn't stop one 69-year-old retiree, Stanley Stolar, from testing his mettle against children as young as 14 during his tryout to work the baseline.

"I saw the movie 'The Bucket List,' so I added this to my bucket list," Mr. Stolar said, referring to a recent film starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. He admitted that he had a better arm when he was younger.

To the uninformed, it appears simple to grab a tennis ball after a point is completed and throw it across the court when told to do so. But as I learned yesterday, it is easy to stumble and bumble — both unacceptable errors during a major tennis tournament.

The assistant director of ball boys and ball girls at the U.S. Open, Cathie Delaney, said the competition is stiff when it comes to the net positions, as there are only two spots during any given match — four man the baselines. Finding enough people with the strength and accuracy to throw it the length of the court can be difficult.

"Everyone thinks anyone can be a ball person, but it's much harder than you think, especially in the midst of a match," Ms. Delaney said. "Sometimes rookies just stand there and forget to do simple things like throwing the balls or running across the court."

At the U.S. Open, the ball boys and girls take pride in heaving the ball accurately to their counterparts across the net, something that is not done at other major tournaments such as Wimbledon, where the ball is simply rolled from baseline to baseline.

That caveat made it easier for Ms. Delaney and her staff to separate out the best candidates yesterday, because many who tried out barely got the ball over the net from the opposite baseline.

My days playing baseball served me well, and I had little trouble with the throwing, although I could have used more stamina to continually sprint after the balls.

I received some good news as I left the court: "You've got a decent arm and good hands," Ms. Delaney shouted, after running me through the gamut. "I would definitely take you for a callback."

If she follows through, I certainly will not take it lightly again.