SEPT 20 - 22, 2024 | BERLIN
Aspiring ballkids will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get on court with some of the greatest tennis players in the world at the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, to be held at The O2 in London from September 23-25, 2022.
Registrations are now open for the Laver Cup London 2022 Ballkid selection trials, which take place on Saturday, July 16 at Westway Tennis Club, Shepherd’s Bush and Sunday, July 17 at the Lee Valley Tennis Club, Stratford.
A squad of 24 Laver Cup ballkids aged between 12-16 years will be selected to be part of the three-day competition, sharing the iconic black court with superstars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe as well as recently announced representatives of Team World, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman.
Federer himself was a ballkid on the way to becoming a 20-time Grand Slam singles champion.
“Having been a ballkid myself, really shaped me,” Federer said. “Being close to the superstars, my favorite players, I had a blast.
“It motivated me then to go out and play tennis myself after standing around it, picking up balls. It leaves a burning flame behind and I hope it’s the same thing for the ballkids that are going to show up in London. I hope they’re going to love the idea of being close to all of us.”
The 90-minute ballkid trial sessions will be run by a team of qualified tennis coaches who will assess the kids on agility, coordination, balance, speed, endurance and teamwork, all skills vital to become a top class ballkid.
“Ballkids play an integral role in helping a tennis match run smoothly,” Laver Cup Ballkids Manager, Mark Magrath said. “As well as possessing great ball skills and some knowledge of the tennis scoring system, we will be looking for kids with excellent communication skills and most importantly a great attitude.”
Kids selected for the Official Laver Cup 2022 Ballkid Squad will be required to take part in three training sessions in September ahead of the event, and start in their critical role onsite at The 02 London from Thursday, 22 September 2022.
“One of our goals with the Laver Cup is to inspire future generations,” Laver Cup CEO Steve Zacks said.
“Creating the opportunity for a large number of kids from all backgrounds to try out and have a fun, active and exciting experience, and potentially become a ballkid, is one way we do that.”
Registration is free, however with numbers limited applicants will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis so kids are encouraged to sign up fast.
The Laver Cup ballkid trials will take place on:
The Laver Cup is played over three days, using an exciting team format, on a dramatic black court. The competition pits six of the best players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World with tennis legends and great rivals Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe current captains for Team Europe and Team World respectively.
