USTA Announces Change To Ballperson Procedures

June 21, 2018 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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On Thursday, the USTA announced a new change in rules for the U.S. Open ballpersons, who will now roll the ball from point-to-point as opposed to throwing between positions.

Rolling the balls when changing positions is traditionally the way it is done at the other Grand Slams.

“By rolling between positions, we are putting less emphasis on a single skill-set, in this case throwing, and instead looking at the importance of slotting more well-rounded athletes at the positions,” said Tina Taps, Director of US Open Ballpersons.  “In making this change, we are able to focus more on speed, dexterity and agility, important attributes for a ballperson, along with overall court awareness.”

The ballperson tryouts for the 2018 US Open are open to the public, and will take place on Tuesday, June 26, at 4:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. registration) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing, N.Y. More than 100 sought-after ballperson positions will be up for grabs as participants ages 14 and older are eligible.

“The goal of making the change to the rolling technique, is to create a larger pool of athletes and applicants trying out for the ballperson position,” said Stacey Allaster, Chief Executive, Professional Tennis, USTA. “In the past, potential applicants may have decided not to try out because of the daunting nature of the throw.  We hope that those same individuals will now come out for the try-out this year, as well as those that may have not made the cut in the past, solely due to their throwing prowess.”

 To find more information and pre-register for the tryouts, go to www.usopen.org/ballperson.

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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