Brisbane International Tennis - Australian Open Series

Selection & Trials

Welcome to the first stage of becoming a Brisbane International Ballkid. Following is some information on selection and trials that will help you to be the best ballkid you can be.

Weather

The selection trials are still intending to run as normal if there is rain, so please attend.  It would be worth taking a wet weather jacket as light showers will not affect the activities.

Permission forms

Permission forms will need to be submitted before you are able to participate in the trial. These will be emailed to all applicants prior to the trial date. Please bring them with you to your trial session.

Trial day details

Please remember that you will need to sign-in 15 minutes prior to your session start time, which will run for 1–1.5 hours.
Remember to have fun at the trials and enjoy the experience.  Best of luck!

Ballkid tips

This summary will provide you with some useful tips to improve your chances of being successful at the Brisbane International Ballkids Selection Trials on Sunday 10 June at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Tip 1: Practice

There are only 120 places available each year in the Brisbane International Ballkid program. Returning Brisbane International Ballkids will be competing for places against nearly 200 new applicants to secure a place in the squad.

The best way to improve your chances of being selected is to start practising now.  View the fact sheets and videos on this site as a tool for training.  Pay close attention to rolling skills and servicing technique.  You should also work on your speed and agility, as well as your scoring and knowledge of basic tennis rules.

The Brisbane International Ballkids who work on Pat Rafter Arena are the ones who practice year round.

Tip 2: Commitment

To be a successful Brisbane International Ballkid, you need to be committed and available for the trials, training and tournament.  Training sessions are compulsory and you will be required to be available for each day of the tournament (including night sessions).

Remember that as a Brisbane International Ballkid, you start your duties during the Qualifying matches – before Channel 7 start televising.

Tip 3: Listen and learn

At the selection trial there will be Brisbane International Ballkids staff, coaches and volunteers who will instruct you at the start of the trial.  Listen carefully to your instructions and try and implement them on the court.

Make use of this website and view all the pages so you can get an understanding of what it takes to become a Brisbane International Ballkid.

Tip 4: Fun

You cannot be a successful Brisbane International Ballkid without having fun and enjoying yourself!  Try and relax and enjoy the trials as an experience.  You may be lucky enough to progress or you may need to use the experience in following years.  Remember, there are a lot of different roles at the Brisbane International that you can apply for.

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