Rain may have delayed Luke Robson's Australian Open debut but the Warrnambool teenager says he is excited by the opportunity.
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Luke, 14, is one of 424 ball kids for the first grand slam of the 2024 tennis year.
Luke told The Standard he was nervous when he arrived at Melbourne Park on Sunday, January, 7, before excitement kicked in.
"I'm here in the moment, let's get this done," he said.
Wet weather delayed his debut in Monday's qualifying matches.
"We rocked up on site at 9.45am and went to the ball kids' lounge, hung around there and checked in," he said.
Luke said the match was delayed several times because of rain.
"I was scheduled to be at court 16 for the day so I had to go to a second ball kids' lounge under John Cain Arena for the day," he said.
His father Mark said the ball kids were assessed each day to determine the court they were allocated to throughout the tournament.
"They encourage the children and give them feedback with how they're progressing as they go," Mark said.
He said Luke was a ball kid at the Australian Wheelchair Tennis National Championships at Melbourne Park in November 2023.
The 2024 Australian Open runs at Melbourne Park from January 14 to 28.
Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
