Veterans in tennis are not simply those who have spent years on court wielding racquets. There are a couple of them at the BNP Paribas Open who are at the ripe old age of 16. Desirae Krawczyk and Haley Perrotte are two of the 315 ballkids working the tournament this year and they’ve been at it for eight and seven years, respectively.
Though both girls tend to work Stadium 1, it took them a couple of years on the outside courts to earn that honor. And the days are long. “You’re here early mornings, late nights, from the beginning of play to the end of play,” said Haley. “Pretty long day.” No matter how long the day, they need to maintain a razor sharp focus. “Anything the player needs, we have to get,” Haley continued. “Like the towel or if they need to get their racquet to the stringer and it has to be back in 20 minutes, we have to run to the stringer, wait there, bring it back.” This also requires adjusting to each player’s personality. “Their mannerisms on the court kind of show what they need,” added Desirae.
They love every minute of it. By watching the professionals play, particularly the players’ footwork and strategy, their own tennis games benefit. And simply being around the top players is a thrill. The Hit for Haiti exhibition was an especially memorable night for Haley. “I was at net and Andre Agassi was joking with me, trying to get the ball. He was just messing around with me and it was really funny.” Desirae’s favorite moments are working the finals. “It’s fun, doing flags and just being around that environment.”
For these two, no matter how many years they’ve spent on the courts, each day is the experience of a lifetime.
Photo: Desirae Krawczyk (L) and Haley Perrotte (Credit: Danielle Lescure)