Plan to have a ball

By Paul Pickering
A TECOMA youngster will again find her way into living rooms over the next two weeks as the Australian Open tennis hits town.
14-year-old Georgia Sverns is preparing to take centre stage at Melbourne Park for the third successive year.
Georgia, who is a member of the Upwey-Tecoma tennis club, will be among more than 300 ballkids vying for a chance to display their skills on the cavernous Rod Laver Arena.
Fast becoming a seasoned expert of the trade, Georgia is seemingly unphased by the swarming crowds and global television audience that the year’s first grand slam attracts.
She was a member of the mosquito fleet at last year’s mixed-doubles final on centre court and recalls only a passing bout of butterflies.
“The finals are pretty scary but once you get a few games in you get used to it.
“You learn to just block it out. You can forget about that and just focus on your rolling.”
This year, ballkids from across the Asia-Pacific region – including China, Japan and Korea – will tread the smouldering hardcourts of Melbourne Park.
Georgia cites this diverse group as the main motivation for her continued involvement with the event.
“It’s just really good fun, the friends that you meet. I always look forward to meeting new people.”
The ballkids work in 45 minute sessions with breaks in between spent relaxing in the common rooms under Rod Laver Arena, playing cards or supporting their friends.
Georgia lists her favourite players as Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean and Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, but she is wary of becoming awestruck while on court.
“All the players are really nice once you get to know them. You just don’t get in their way.”
Enthusiastic about her adventure over the next two weeks, the young veteran isn’t contemplating retirement just yet.
Georgia can see herself moving into a role in court services or statistics as she gets older.
Georgia’s mother, Christine, certainly wouldn’t mind if her daughter laced up the complimentary sneakers for a few more years.
Thanks to ballkid sponsor Aviva, parents are supplied with ground passes for the duration of the tournament.
After years of watching her daughter in action, Mrs Sverns admits to a preoccupation with the event’s supporting cast.
“It’s amazing, you end up spending the day watching the ballkids and hardly notice the tennis.”