Inside look at what it takes to be a US Open ball crew member

The end of August into Labor Day means various things for New Yorkers. Some take an annual pilgrimage to the Hamptons for the long weekend. Some are soaking in last-minute summer activities and outdoor dining at the places theyve intended to visit for the whole season.

Explore More

The end of August into Labor Day means various things for New Yorkers.

Some take an annual pilgrimage to the Hamptons for the long weekend.

Some are soaking in last-minute summer activities and outdoor dining at the places they’ve intended to visit for the whole season.

But one particular group takes three weeks to dress in a decked-out Polo uniform while servicing the best tennis players in the world — a job that can appear low-maintenance but, upon a closer look, plays a major role in the U.S. Open.

A total of 330 people this year have what Tiahnne Noble, director of the U.S. Open ball crew, deems “the best seats in the house.”

These people are members of the ball crew who are responsible for keeping every match that you see during the tournament as efficient as possible.

The Post spent Thursday of Week 1 at the Open shadowing a group of the ball crew to view a day in a Grand Slam tournament through their eyes.

U.S. Open ballgirl Aarshia Hukmani attends a meeting before matches begin on Aug. 31. Corey Sipkin

The Process

The 330 members of the U.S. Open ball crew are selected out of 1,180 applicants, who are then narrowed down to 500 for a single round of tryouts.

The next stage involves a 20-30-minute on-court session to analyze one’s fitness, agility, knowledge of the game and ability to toss the ball and service it to a player.

For those who make the final cut, a three-hour training session the first weekend of August follows, including a beep test (running back and forth between two points positioned 20 meters apart while increasing your pace throughout), skill-based exercises and tips for what to look for in matches.

Sixty percent of this year’s ball crew are returnees, who were asked if they would like to come back without having to try out again for the position.

The crew is paid $16 an hour and ranges in age from 14 and up, as the tournament in Flushing Meadows uniquely doesn’t have an age limit like other majors.

The Day

Aarshia Hukmani, 18, from Hicksville, LI, is a sophomore tennis player at Hofstra and was one of those selected by Noble.

Now in her third year with the ball crew, Hukmani’s day when on a full-day shift starts at 7 a.m. as she showers, eats breakfast and prepares her uniform and blue, green and white Polo bag for the day.

Her drive to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center is 40 minutes — on a good day, and around the tournament, there is no such thing.

So, she leaves an hour and a half of breathing room to make it there an hour early before the 10:30 a.m. ball crew briefing.

Ballgirl Aarshia Hukmani picks up an errant ball during a wheelchair doubles match on Court 15 on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Corey Sipkin

Inside the ball crew break room, Hukmani sits among schedules posted on the walls, along with a poster of the dos and don’ts of the job and a picture of the final crew for each U.S. Open.

A sea of uniforms starts to join us around 10 a.m.

Many are early chatters while others are reaching for their coffee before anything else, even stretching.

“Welcome to main draw Day 4!” a supervisor yells to start the day, and he is met with enthusiasm from the crew.

The supervisor delivers a weather check, tips before the shift, reminders to sign the 2023 ball crew poster and a daily trivia question.

“Who is the only American to win U.S. Open singles titles on clay, grass and hard court?”

The room stirs until a hand shoots up and correctly says, “Jimmy Connors.”

Following the meeting, the ball-crew members break out into their respective groups, each assigned a court for the day with the same five other people, making for six on each court.

They spend an hour and a half on and off until the day’s matches on their respective courts have ended.

For those under 18, they typically do two to three rotations, about 9-10 hours, and it varies for those 14-15 years old and 16-17 years old.

“I thought I would be on till a match ended, which would be insane,” Hukmani says of when she first started the job at age 16. “So, when I came in, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s easy. I’ll be fine.’ But my first shift that I worked, I was winded. … I was huffing and puffing. I was sweating. It was absolutely insane. I was like, ‘Wow, I really need this break.’ ”

Two ballboys stand at attention during a match on Court 17 on Aug. 31. Corey Sipkin

The Post followed Hukmani and her group at Court 17 for the day, and many eyes followed as they weaved through the crowd on the way to the first session.

A young fan gawks at the group, asking if they’re the ball crew.

At the answer he smiles, saying, “Cool.”

They encourage him to apply many years from now when he turns 14.

Arriving in the back tunnel 10 minutes prior to the match start time, the crew eventually runs around the court to line up opposite the chair umpire until the players come out of the same tunnel.

Once the second player comes out and drops his or her last bag, the ball crew does the U.S. Open signature “burst,” sprinting to their respective positions — two at the net and two at either end of the court.

The Details

When watching a match, you will likely notice the ball crew here and there, but if you only watch them, you discover little intricacies to the job, especially when servicing a player.

Hands are up when the player faces you, showing how many balls you have available.

Hands are down in front of you, empty, when the player is facing you to show the player you don’t have any balls.

Hands are down at your side, briefly, when the player is facing away to show the other ball crew members how many you have.

When a player makes eye contact with you and/or gives you a slight nod, lightly bounce the ball halfway to him or her.

When a player goes to his/her towel and turns around while simultaneously turning their racket, the player wants all of the balls you have.

On a hot day, the receiving back crew members put umbrellas over the players on the changeover.

Why don’t the serving side crew members handle this?

They need to be ready when the time is up to assist the server.

All of this is done in an automatic, nonverbal fashion, focusing on speed and accuracy, while also predicting the next shot to be more efficient.

Ballgirl Arlene Contreras is all smiles during a doubles match at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday. Corey Sipkin

“It takes a lot of attention,” 30-year-old Bronx native Arlene Contreras, another member of Hukmani’s group, says. “You think we’re not doing anything but you really have to be on the ball, really need to know where the balls are going, where the balls are at all times.

“It makes a huge difference. And so the attentiveness that you need to have on court is a lot. … It’s more detail-oriented than physical. It’s a lot more mental than physical.

“I’m watching the game, but in my mind I’m like, ‘OK, whoever wins this point, this is what I need to do next. Whoever loses this point, this is where the balls need to go.’ So, in my head I’m enjoying and appreciating this wholeheartedly, but I’m also like, ‘Balls need to move this way, they need to get there at this point. I have to be at the wall ready to go. I need to make sure I make eye contact with my other people on court to know that they know what they’re doing.’ ”

The ball crew is also taught to “share the shade,” so if one would like to switch from their originally assigned position for a shift, he or she can ask the rest of their group for a position change.

Arlene Contreras works a doubles match with Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff on Wednesday at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Corey Sipkin

The Stress

In the past there would be three to four ball people per court, which made for a lot more work and needed breaks.

But even with more staffers per match, the job still remains a job, and one to be taken seriously if you want to be a part of the ball crew for any semifinal or final match.

“The short sprints seem really short, but when the ball is on the opposite end and you have to get it before the player starts serving, it’s very quick back-and-forth,” Hukmani says.

“It’s not that easy. People think of it to be a very easy, simple job. But in reality, it’s very difficult. You get evaluated when you’re on court. We’re getting evaluated every single time we’re on court. So, it’s a lot of stress at the same time. You’re getting evaluated and that also determines what court you’re on the next day. So if you aren’t doing your best performance, they’re not going to put you on one of the show courts.”

In the second on-court session, various factors that can throw off the ball crew are evident.

For example, during a tiebreak, ideally, each member of the ball crew has one ball and the serving player has two.

But some players are superstitious and take balls from only one ball person or would rather not hold a ball in his or her pocket.

Members of the crowd are also encouraged to give any balls back that are hit into the stands, but some throw it back too late into the serve and the point has to be redone.

Same goes for if a ball-crew member drops a ball he or she is holding during a point; the point must be played through again.

On a similar but sillier note, two lantern flies get in the way of two serves in the Alexander Zverev-Daniel Altmaier four-set match.

Contreras stomps on both to allow play to continue.

Arlene Contreras makes sure her fellow ballgirl has enough balls during a doubles match on Wednesday. Corey Sipkin

The Hazards

After the first session, we walk back to the break room to enjoy some air conditioning during the break.

Other morning-shift crews are already there stretching, foam rolling, using a massage gun or Icy Hot, having something to eat or taking naps with a set phone timer next to them.

Contreras and Hukmani sit down among other ball-crew members as The Post asks about a 125 mph serve from the 12th-seeded Zverev that Contreras took to the gut that morning.

She casually brushes it off.

“Oh yeah I’m fine,” Contreras says, explaining that it’s not out of the ordinary. She then proceeds to thank Hukmani for looking at the speed.

They like to know the numbers.

Hukmani is no stranger to being hit, either.

In the 2021 qualifying rounds she was on the receiving end of a 129 mph serve that the opposing player missed.

The ball hit her in the head, leaving her with a concussion.

This tournament, she was assigned to John Isner’s court in his opening-match victory, where she caught a 126 mph serve in her right hand, leading to nerve damage.

In between her index finger and thumb is black-and-blue bruising.

For Aarshia Hukmani, a sophomore tennis player at Hofstra, being a ballgirl at the U.S. Open is her “favorite thing to do.” Corey Sipkin

The Community

Despite the injuries and the challenges of the job, it’s clear by the end of the day that the members love telling the stories that come with it.

And it’s clear that there is a real community bond among them inside and outside of tennis, one that lasts.

One day, the group celebrated a former ball-crew member’s birthday, as they do each year, bringing out a cookie cake and bursting into song upon her arrival as she has moved on to another role in the Open.

“I absolutely love it. I fell in love with tennis when I was like 14 or 15 years old, never played, but just wanted a lot of it. Came to Arthur Ashe Kids Day with my family a lot. So, I really fell in love with it,” says Contreras, who plans these three weeks around her other jobs in construction, a Yankee Stadium tour guide and an instructor at a makerspace.

“It’s a lot of fun. I really love the sport. The camaraderie amongst everyone in here is phenomenal. We’re all friends, we could not see or speak to each other in a whole year and then we come back for these three weeks and it’s like, ‘What’s going on, how you doing?’ The best friendships, the best relationships.”

If there are several matches on her court, Hukmani explains, her day — which also depends upon match length — will end at around 10 p.m.

She drives back home to Long Island, only to wake up again at 7 a.m. if she has the morning shift.

But she wouldn’t have her summer end in any other way.

“I come back every year because the people over here, the whole crew, especially Tiahnne and everyone, they’re amazing people and just the feel of being like such a big part of a tournament because I feel like the court wouldn’t work without ball people,” Hukmani says.

“Being such a big part of a tournament is something amazing and I always look forward to coming back to it every single year. It’s my favorite thing to do.”

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3JmaXBfnru0tcOeZKWnn6B6osCMsJ%2BarF2ewbR505qinqtdqbxursRmmGato2K8sbHNZpmapJxisLOx1maknqWSmr9w

 Share!