10 Indian ball kids set to be part of Australian Open

Trials organised by Kia Motors, the official sponsor, were held in 10 Indian cities; the kids will be in Australia for 17 days.

The ball kids alongside Kia Motors officials before their departure in Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: Special Arrangement

Ten young Indian tennis players, selected to officiate as ball kids at the Australian Open, were all set to fly to Melbourne on Wednesday, as part of the initiative by the official sponsor Kia Motors .

The kids are in the 13 to 15 age group, from Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Gurugram. They will be in Australia for 17 days.

Hundreds of tennis enthusiasts from across India attended the trials. Experts from Australian Open assessed the kids on their agility and communication skills. The trials were conducted in 10 cities.

Rigorous training

The ball kids from the country who had officiated in the last edition of the Australian Open served as mentors for the current crop of selected ball kids, who were put through rigorous training by the Australian Open officials.

“It is great to see so many enthusiasts believing in their passion for the sport. We at Kia are privileged to provide them with this opportunity to live their dreams,” said the vice-president of KiaMotors , Manohar Bhat, at a function for announcing the selected kids.

• B. M. V. Aditya, Atharva Hitendra, Atrijo Sengupta, Divyanshu Pandey, Harshit Pandita, Rijul Bhatia, Sanskruti Vadakattu, Sargam Singla, Sharvin Kaustubh and Yashvardhan Gaur.