SEPT 20 - 22, 2024 | BERLIN
Aspiring ballkids will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on court with some of the top men’s professional tennis players at the sixth edition of the Laver Cup, to be held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver from September 22-24, 2023.
Registrations are now open for the Laver Cup Vancouver 2023 Ballkid Selection Trials, which take place on Sunday, June 18 at the University of British Columbia Tennis Centre, and Sunday, June 25 at the North Shore Winter Club.
A team of 24 Laver Cup ballkids between 12-16 years of age will be selected to be part of the three-day competition, sharing the event’s black court with tennis superstars including Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Nick Kyrgios of Team World, as well as recently announced representatives of Team Europe, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune.
Many of today’s players are themselves former ballkids, including 20-time Grand Slam champion and cofounder of the Laver Cup, Roger Federer. Now retired from competitive play, Federer has confirmed he will be in Vancouver in September to support the event and experience it in a new way.
“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 Vancouver. I’m sure they will love sharing the court with the world’s best players and will be left with memories that last a lifetime.”
The 80-minute ballkid trial sessions will be run by a team of qualified tennis professionals who will assess the kids on vital ballkid skills including agility, coordination, balance, speed, endurance and teamwork.
“Ballkids play an integral role in helping a tennis match run smoothly,” Laver Cup Ballkids Manager, Sierra Roberts 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 2023 Ballkid Team will be required to take part in four training sessions in September and start in their critical role onsite at Rogers Arena Vancouver from Thursday, September 21, 2023.
“We are continually looking at ways for the Laver Cup to inspire future generations and give back to the communities that we visit,” Laver Cup CEO Steve Zacks said.
“Our ballkid program has been a great way to help achieve this. A large number of kids from all backgrounds in and around Vancouver can take part in the Ballkid trials where they will experience a fun, active and memorable session with the chance of being selected to join the Laver Cup Ballkid Team.”
Registration is free, however with numbers limited, if the demand for the trial exceeds capacity, applicants will be randomly selected to participate.
For additional information and to register visit www.lavercup.com/ballkids. Registration closes on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12.00pm PDT.
Kids have the choice of registering for either one of the following trial locations. The specific session will be assigned based on the number of applicants for each trial:
Sunday, June 18, 2023 | University of British Columbia Tennis Centre
Sunday, June 25, 2023 | North Shore Winter Club
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.
Tickets and hospitality packages are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
