Daniel Azadegan could see the sweat glistening on the forehead of the professional tennis player who stood just 10 feet away. As the player prepared to serve, Azadegan tensed up, ready to spring into action should the ball fail to meet its destination.
At the Farmers Classic, held at UCLA this past week, Azadegan worked as one of six ball kids, standing statuesque on the outskirts of the court, then scrambling after loose balls or holding umbrellas for resting players, among other tasks. Though the work is intricate and the pay is often little or nothing, Azadegan said the experience of being a ball kid ““ and the discipline it teaches ““ make his job worth it.
“You get to see things about a player that you normally wouldn’t, like how they operate, and you learn persistency and focus,” said Azadegan, a recent graduate of The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks.
A serious player who performed in California Interscholastic Federation tennis championships during high school, Azadegan began his career as a ball kid because of an intense love for the game and a desire to improve his own, he said.
Now a seven-year veteran of the ball boy circuit, Azadegan has learned the ins and outs of the job, picking up on the little things, such as when players want a towel ““ after double faults ““ and how players want their balls thrown to them.
Azadegan also discovered that, with so many people watching a popular match, there is very little margin for error. He has even seen ball kids get pulled off in the middle of a match for making mistakes.
Such embarrassment works as negative reinforcement, teaching ball kids to be focused at all times.
“Being a ball boy, you get used to persistence on one goal because if you don’t, you will mess up,” said Azadegan, who added that this focus helped him stay on track for his personal goals, such as recently being admitted to USC.
Becoming a ball kid was no easy task for him, though, and is definitely not suited for everyone, Azadegan said.
Roy Encarnacion, the tournament ball person manager, knows from his days as a tennis player the qualities desired in a ball kid.
All of the ball kids at this year’s Farmers Classic participated in the previous one as well, so they were notified by Encarnacion and simply had to accept the invitation.
Although ball kids at the Farmers Classic aren’t paid ““ unlike those in Grand Slam tournaments, where competition for ball kid spots is at its highest ““ when positions are available, there are enough interested for Encarnacion to have his pick of who deserves to work the Los Angeles-based tournament.
In that case, Encarnacion holds tryouts, which usually consist of a series of agility exercises and sprints, as well as practice matches to test participant’s skills in action.
“We look for a kid that pays a lot of attention to detail,” Encarnacion said. “Someone that has playing experience, wants to get better, shows a lot of desire and hustle, and is a good citizen. They need to be all these things because, in the end, they are representing the tennis tournament.”
Encarnacion has even seen some players who had specific routines for the ball kids to adhere to, or who had gender specifications for the ball kids who work with them.
“There is a flow to being a good ball kid,” Encarnacion said. “They need to be able to instantly pick up on the nuances and idiosyncrasies of players.”
When players do not have things exactly the way they want, it can get ugly. Emma Tynan, a 14-year-old ball girl, has witnessed this firsthand.
A player, frustrated with the way a match was unfolding, haphazardly threw his racket down, almost hitting Tynan.
A ball girl for four years, she has learned that there is a simple way to avoid such outbursts.
“You just need to pay attention,” Tynan said. “Don’t act like you don’t want to be there. Players will respect you if you do your job right.”
Tynan admits the job can be stressful at times, but maintains that the advantages outweigh the downsides. She hopes to attend Harvard Law School, and said that being a ball girl teaches her to work seriously and respectfully.
The myriad of small perks that she and other ball kids enjoy also help make the hard work worth it. Such perks include a free uniform, shoes, meal tickets, extra tournament tickets ““ and the best seat in the arena, where they can watch players up close and observe their form to improve their own play.
“A lot of ball kids are players who want to get closer to their heroes,” Encarnacion said.
“But what ends up happening as they get better is they are learning to work hard and are also having a lot of fun.”