Junior USTA and RTA Member Amanda Maready from Powhatan will be starting her third year as a ball person at the Sony-Ericsson Open Tennis Tournament on Key Biscayne in March. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of the nine ATP Masters Series events, a top tier event on the WTA tour, and features the top men's and women's tennis players in the world.
Amanda began training and working as a ball person in 2007. During her first year, she was required to attend three qualifying training sessions on Saturdays in February for five hours each day as well as a final training session in March. During the training sessions, she is rated on her speed at getting to the ball, rolling the ball fast and straight, catching the ball and entering and exiting properly with her team. She must also be able to completely follow the scoring, stand perfectly still during play and provide the players with shade, towels and drinks during changeovers. Each year, she continues to attend training sessions prior to the tournament.
This year, the tournament will take place from March 25 through April 5. During the tournament, she will work at least seven shifts, each eight hours long beginning at either 7 am or 4 pm. Amanda is now considered a veteran ball person and often serves as team captain on the court. She says that you don't think about who the players are, just about keeping the court organized while not impeding play. The sign of a good ball person team is when the spectators don't even remember seeing the ball kids. They should be invisible to get the job done. During the past two years, she has worked for Amelie Mauresemo, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfredo Tsonga, Feliciano Lopez, Ai Sugiyama, John Isner and many others. This year, she hopes to work on the Stadium Court.
Over the years of attending the tournament she has seen many players compete, including Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadel, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Venus and Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi. She has also had the opportunity to play doubles with Bob and Mike Bryan and return serves from Andy Roddick.
Amanda is home schooled, which gives her the opportunity to travel during the year. During the tournament she says with her family in Miami, where she was born and raised. She has lived in Powhatan for over two years and plays in the USTA Richmond Junior Team Tennis League as well as in local tournaments.
