The USTA today announced that beginning with the 2018 US Open, ballpersons will roll the ball from point-to-point, rather than throw between positions. Rolling between positions has traditionally been utilized at the other Grand Slam events.
“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 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.”
The public ballperson tryouts for the 2018 US Open 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. Ages 14 and older are eligible to try out for the coolest summer job in sports.
To find more information and pre-register for the tryouts, go to www.usopen.org/ballperson.
