The Emmanuel College student has always had a love for the game. Now he has been picked as a ball boy for the Australian Open in January.

His proud mum Rachel said Tom, 13, set his sights on the job after seeing his older cousin participate a few years ago.

“He said: ‘That’s my dream, mum. I’m going to do that one day.’”

Now it’s happening for the sporty youngster and he can’t wait to get started.

The squad of 370 ball boys and girls is selected from thousands of applicants from Australia and overseas every year.

Since applying in March, the process has been ongoing for Tom with the Howard family attending multiple training days in Melbourne.

Mrs Howard said Tom had put in a lot of hard work all year and it was a great opportunity for him.

“In between trials Tom would practice at home, rolling balls through the kitchen all day, everyday, as well as practice on the neighbours tennis court,”