The Ball Boys and Girls of Wimbeldon

A glance in the mirror presents a reminder of the occasion, as the pressure reaches its breaking point – erratic arms with hairs erect upon their surface violently swipe at the sea of sweat conjugating upon their forehead. The high-octane bellows of the crowd begin to take shape, they fix the collars of their polos and brush off the crumbs. The tunnel presents a challenge, it swirls around a green singularity that when reached attempts to devour your core.

Wimbledon: with its clicks of cameras and claps from spectators whose wealth you couldn’t even imagine, judges them on entry. Eyes pierce their Ralph Lauren cotton as they scurry to their station. The moment is theirs; the ball boys and girls of Wimbledon are ready for the hardest hours of their lives.

The journey begins with a bleep test, then another, and then without fail coaches watch with a judging eye weeding the weak out as the whistle rumbles for yet another run. “You have to be really physically fit as a 14-year-old, the training days involve countless agility and fitness tests,” says former top-level ball boy Louis. “Even though we were quite young the organisers were extremely ruthless, if you were not at the required level, they’d tell you straight to your face and eventually people started to disappear without return.”

Wimbledon ball boys and girls are held to an exceedingly high pedigree, the post was once reserved for the orphaned children of Suburban London, but now that honour mostly falls to the secondary schools of the surrounding Wimbledon area. “They consider us to be the best of the best and that’s why training is so rigorous it’s like the military.” Shirts are expected to be tucked in on arrival to training to build habit and steps must be coordinated with your peers- preparing to march in unison to the courts.

After succeeding in the militant tests put in front of you, you are then rewarded with a fitting akin to one that preludes your wedding day. Sizes are measured for your own Ralph Lauren get-up from head to toe; one of one. It’s a parting ceremonial gift as the BBGs now ready themselves for the championship.

A spectacle viewed by tens of millions of people every year, Wimbledon shifts the world’s focus onto the prodigal stars of tennis and their unique ability to hit a green ball.  “Our coaches always said you’ve had a good day if you’re overlooked.

You’re prone to mistakes the pressure gets to you sometimes it’s almost tangible, but one thing they made us realise is that most people won’t notice a slip-up. I did have a friend however who was increasingly nervous on an extremely hot day working on the main court, the best we get to quell the heat is a cloth draped in ice water. It wasn’t enough for him as his legs gave out and he fainted on national television.”

Ubaid Awan took part in Wimbledon 2018, which corresponded with what many today in England say was the best summer ever. “My fondest memory has to be when I was chilling by the door on a break with one of my peers and Drake just walks by with about 6 security guards. As we’re holding the door open for him, he gives us a nod of approval, I cherish the moment to this day.”

“You meet a whole host of celebrities at Wimbledon as most of the time because they know who we are because of the uniform they ask how we’re doing or wish us luck, I met Pique, Meghan Markle and David Haye during my time.”

Centre Court, the main stage of Wimbledon poses the biggest challenge to the BBGs. It’s the crown jewel that some pray for, and others do their best to avoid. “It’s gut-wrenching,” Louis continued, “If it’s a big player like Djokovic or Serena you could feel the aura in the air, the crowd are more responsive, and the quiet is more damning.”

An ex-ballboy spoke on working on the Men’s Singles Final, “It was a goal I set myself so to achieve it was fulfilling, sometimes I’d catch the ball perfectly and receive a round of applause from the crowd. Most of the time you are in the zone and understanding your surroundings and the players definitely helps.”

“I noticed how a lot of the top players in the game have rituals and superstitions- Rafael Nadal is one of the most famous examples he was very particular about the positioning of his water bottles and would use two towels. Standing to serve the players I was able to see lots of players focused thinking about their tactics, talking to themselves or to their coach or family in their box.”

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