BALLARAT-based ball boy Oliver Pittard\u2019s four-year journey with the Australian Open\u2019s Ballkid program has come to an end.<\/p>\n
His final match was part of the men\u2019s single final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday at Rod Laver Arena, and Oliver will be too old to return next year.<\/p>\n
Having volunteered in the program every summer since 2019, Oliver said it was \u201csurreal\u201d for it to be over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a brilliant time over these four years, done some incredible matches and met some incredible people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bit emotional that I won\u2019t be back next year. In my first year I was able to do Nick Kyrgios at John Cain Arena, which was really big. Then the last two years I\u2019ve been able to do both men\u2019s finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve definitely learned a bit from some of the great players on the court and watched their techniques and footwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oliver started playing at seven years old, and currently trains at the Ballarat Regional Tennis Centre in Wendouree.<\/p>\n
Though the Australian Open runs throughout January, Oliver\u2019s ball kid training began in March the year before with monthly sessions leading up to the tournament.<\/p>\n
This year, Oliver was joined by his younger sister Phoebe, who volunteered for the program for the first time.<\/p>\n
He said it was like a passing of the torch to share the court duties with his sibling.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the times, we were on the same shift time and saw each other daily,\u201d he said. \u201cI was able to give her a few tips, like run a bit faster or roll a bit quicker. She\u2019ll keep it going for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phoebe has been playing tennis for about three years, and she\u2019ll volunteer again and that Oliver was a great guide for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it all really enjoyable and got lots of input from Oliver since he\u2019s been doing it for four years so I kind of knew what I was getting into,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s taught me pretty much how to be a ball kid so I\u2019m very grateful for that because I know a lot of them don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BALLARAT-based ball boy Oliver Pittard\u2019s four-year journey with the Australian Open\u2019s Ballkid program has come to an end. His final match was part of the men\u2019s single final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday at Rod Laver Arena, and Oliver will be too old to return next year. Having volunteered in the program […]<\/p>\n