French Open: The ball kid choir, a silent symphony

The ball kids preparing for action on Saturday

Their boundless energy is almost infectious. They lend their legs to the tournament and allow it the luxury of running smoothly. The boys and girls do not seek attention, in fact it is their job to slip away into the shadows as soon as the task is accomplished. They live in a quiet stillness in the corners of the courts, yet give the tournament its life and breath. We do not know their name or calling, in fact we do not even see their faces. The ball kids are a community unto themselves, a silent battalion that keep the wheels in motion for a massive event like the French Open in Roland Garros.

Each year, the team responsible for preparing this army of young boys and girls invite applications from kids aged 12 – 16, from the different provinces of France. It is an exercise that is almost conducted with piety, plenty of patience going into the nearly yearlong project.

The selection process for French Open 2015 has already begun and the FFT representative informed me with great pride that they have already received interest from as many as 1200 applicants. Eventually there shall be around 3000 applicants, as there were for this edition of the tournament.

David Portier is a slightly built young man - a sunny disposition and the busy schedule mask his eleven years of work for the Federation Francaise de Tennis, which operates the French Open along with the International Tennis Federation.

Portier has come through the ranks and now runs the team that manages the Ramasseurs de balles de Roland-Garros, as they are known around here. He is a disciplinarian and team man that makes it his job to keep the nearly three hundred people team glued as a family through the three weeks they spend around Roland Garros. “Teamwork, discipline and a good attitude are key attributes for a ball kid,” said the leader of the ball kid organisation at the French Open.

David Portier with some ball kids at Roland Garros

The boys and girls are expected to be French nationals, measuring less than 1.75m and should not wear glasses or lenses. Team leaders travel across the country conducting selections at prominent tennis clubs as they hunt for the finest talent available to do the job at the tournament.

The roll of the ball kid is demanding – typically, there are six of them on court with two other groups of six waiting to rotate every 30 minutes. It is a job that requires fitness, agility and concentration. And the FFT suffers no inefficiency, since they do not want any attention drawn through unnecessary clumsiness on the court.

Out of the 3000 or so applicants, the FFT selects around 400 kids for a four day training and workshop where they teach and assess the boys and girls for final selection to the tournament. Eventually, 220 boys and girls make the final cut and are joined by 30 of the best pupils from the previous year’s tournament to provide the 250 kids needed to run the three week event.

Participation is entirely voluntary and the biggest returns from this sojourn are the sense of pride and a small souvenir at the end of the tournament. Of course the kids also receive a uniform kit by Adidas, including garments and shoes.

The kids undergo intense training – they are expected to be quick and invisible in the shortest time possible. Balls are expected to be rolled along, a bouncing ball is sure to earn them a grim reminder from the supervisors who watch over every move of the kids, providing detailed notes on each kids performance during the day.

The best of the lot then earn the joy of working during the second week – the very best lasting through to the semifinals and finals. It is a dangerous job – a young girl ended up bleeding from the nose for failing to duck from a Karlovic missile.

It can be overwhelming too, because these kids adore the men and women they are serving. Malo, the young lad who held out the umbrella for Novak Djokovic before sharing a seat and a drink with him turned into a sensation after those few minutes in the spotlight.

The FFT was forced to keep the media at bay to prevent the kid from losing his balance. Needless to say, he was kept away from the next Djokovic match lest there be another conversation. They are meant to live in the shadows and the attention is rightly deemed an inconvenient distraction.

These are the kids that are meant to serve the players and the courts without name and face. That is how it is meant to be and perhaps the only way it can work. The objects of their attention are the balls, wet towels and the drinks that the players need to stay hydrated.

But then the ball kids are also artists. Their stance, either crouching at the net or standing tall at the back is designed to communicate rapt attention and facilitate quick movement. The act of passing along the ball either to the player or among themselves is expected to be an act of grace and skill.

These boys and girls show tremendous maturity and skill for their tender age. And we need to stand and salute their silent yet essential contribution to the game we so dearly love.