By Joe Anuta
Champions have come and gone at the US Open, but a Forest Hills man has spent nearly half of his life returning to the court as a ball boy.
Throughout most of the year Sal Chan, 30, is a Manhattan paralegal, but when the dog days of summer set upon Flushing Meadows Corona Park, he exchanges his suits for sweat bands and has done so for 14 of the last 15 years.
“When you have a view from the court, you notice subtle things,” said Chan, who has come as close to a professional tournament as a non-tennis player could. “Every time I watch Federer, I notice something new.”
From the mutterings of the pros to the thump of the ball bouncing off the racket strings, the minute details not accessible from the stands are what keep Chan coming back each year.
But the job is hardly all fun and games.
Each year about 250 ball people keep the matches running smoothly at the Billie Jean King National Stadium by ensuring players are hydrated and well-stocked with tennis balls and have instant access to towels for brow-mopping. Their job, which consists of much sprinting and throwing, more closely resembles that of a baseball player than the tennis pros they serve. They typically work nine or more hours a day and make wages hovering around $8 per hour.
On average, there is a turnover of fewer than 100 of the ball people every year, since many like Chan return annually and have their spot reserved. This year, the United States Tennis Association held a tryout for about 80 positions. Roughly 500 people showed up.
During matches, they stand stoic like uniformed palace guards, ready to snap into action once a play is over. During rain delays, which happen often at the tournament, the ball people sit in a bunker-like room in the bowels of Louis Armstrong Stadium and play cards like soldiers waiting for action.
Chan takes off work each summer and makes slightly more than minimum wage at the two-week stint. Others at the tournament may well be on their way to following in his footsteps.
Monday’s final match meant Dayana Agasiava, 18, had four US Opens under her belt.
“I wanted to learn a lot and be close to the players,” said the recent high school graduate, who is a tennis player herself and trains at the USTA facility.
Agasiava is also from Forest Hills, and though she is just starting out on what could be a long US Open career, she has already undergone some unexpectedly taxing parts of the job. Some are mental, like tuning out gruff sports photographers whose pictures are not supposed to include peppy ball girls. Others are physical, like narrowly dodging speeding serves that miss their mark.
Last year Agasiava got into a disagreement with Dutch player Caroline Wozniacki over what to do with an empty water bottle on the court.
“She kept looking at me every time she would lose a point,” Agasiava said, although Wozniacki eventually won the match and all was forgiven.
But at the heart of the job is a chance to tap into the games’ energy, which cannot be purchased at the ticket counter.
“When the whole crowd cheers for a player, I get goose bumps,” she said.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
