Young tennis players assist their role models at EYOF 2022

The organization of EYOF 2022 would not be possible without the help of more than a thousand volunteers. But among them are also those who have the opportunity to enjoy tennis matches from a place where ordinary spectators cannot get to-from the tennis court.

Children from Banská Bystrica tennis schools help out these days on the courts of the Baseline tennis club, where the matches of their older colleagues take place as part of the EYOF 2022 in Banská Bystrica. A dream came true for several local tennis hopefuls. “It is great because I like to run after the balls,” says little Peter, whose tennis role model is the Spanish king of clay Rafael Nadal.

“It is a good feeling because we get to be around older tennis players. I liked the way the boys played, and that I could collect balls for them on the court. My role model is Belinda (Bencic, Olympic champion from Tokyo, Ed.), I had the opportunity to meet her in person. I like the way she plays,” said Olivia.

Young ball kids have an important role on the tennis court. “We collect the balls around the net and pass them to the players. Our task is also to change the scoreboard according to the referee’s instructions,” says eleven-year-old Tamara. “It is a good feeling. The fact that such an event does not take place in Slovakia all the time makes it a great experience and a lot of fun. There are a lot of players here, and they all play very well. But I noticed several players whose playing style I like at EYOF.”

Several ball girls were nervous when they first entered the EYOF 2022 court. “During the first match, I was very afraid and nervous that I would screw it up. It also happened to me that I awarded the game to another player who did not win the game. I was stressed about it,” said Martina, whose tennis role models are the Williams sisters. “Despite the fact that I was nervous during the first match on the court, I am glad that I can be on these courts and see the players up close,” said 11-year-old Eliska.

In the open-air tennis court, not only the players but also the ball kids suffer from the high temperatures in which they have to run around the court and stay focused. “We do not run all the time, so it is not that difficult. If we had to run all over the court, it would be more difficult, but since we only collect balls around the net, it is bearable.”

Although they have world-class tennis stars from the top of the rankings among their role models, at the EYOF 2022 in Banská Bystrica, the ball collectors also found their role models among young Olympic hopefuls. “I like Laura (Palumbo, Ed.) from the Netherlands the most, and Rachel (Deegan, Ed.) from Ireland also played well,” the promising tennis player Martina informs us. Maska also found her role model among Olympic hopefuls aged 14 to 18. “I like the player from Finland (Daria Bibanina, Ed.). She plays very well.”

Young stars train at TC Baseline under the guidance of coach Jozef Suhajda. “I have a very good coach. He is very nice and allows us a lot. It’s always a lot of fun with him. When we wear flip-flops, he says that our shoelaces are untied,” said Tamara. “For the fact that he is already fifty, he is still good (laugh). He teaches us a lot. I believe that I will be able to win a tournament in the future,” adds Martina with a smile.

Michal Gelhos is responsible for the ball collectors at EYOF 2022 as their manager. Around 20 children are helping on the tennis courts in Banská Bystrica. “They have a very important role. They help the matches run smoothly so that there are no downtimes. And last but not least, they learn the basics of tennis and also lessons for the future,” said Gelhos, who works as a children’s coach at the tennis club.

For ball boys and girls, EYOF 2022 is a great experience that can propel them forward in their future careers. “They see older kids who have trained longer and have trained well. They can find out what tennis looks like at fourteen or fifteen years of age, where they can get. They see what they can achieve by training hard. It is a big lesson for them, a lot of helping but also fun.”

The coach of future tennis hopefuls sees room for improvement in conditions in the country. “In Slovakia, it still doesn’t look like we have filled the hole that was created fifteen years ago. At the moment, the results are not such that anyone, with the exception of Alex Molcan (Slovak tennis player, Ed.), would break into the top fifty. There are opportunities for improvement; it’s just a matter of wanting the most talented kids to get there. So that they develop and that everything does not depend only on money, because not everyone can afford to finance tennis at the top level these days,” said Gelhoš.