World Number One Novak Djokovic meets Barclays Ball Kids
23 November 2011
World number one, Novak Djokovic kicked off the search for the 2012 Barclays Ball Kids yesterday at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, held at The O2 London
Djokovic met this year’s squad and participated in a series of drills to practice rolling and throwing the ball accurately. He also gave them a few pointers and tips for the rest of the week.
“I think they are doing great. It’s not easy because they have to do what they are trained to do, but they also have to recognise the moment for the player on court” said Djokovic.
The squad of 30 kids (aged 12-16) were selected from over 2,500 hopefuls that took part in a nationwide search launched by Barclays last November to find the best ball kids for this year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
Fourteen Regional Selection Trials were held across the country in March and April 2011 with 127 young hopefuls progressing to the National Selection Trials in May. From here, the final squad of Barclays Ball Kids were selected and have since taken part in a number of training days, including a week long ‘Base-camp’ to perfect their skills.
Led by the Barclays Ball Kid Talent ID team, headed up by Mark Magrath, the training programme is designed to ensure the squad members are empowered with all the skills required to provide outstanding service to the world’s top tennis players including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, all of whom will take part in this year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
In addition to the on court skill development, the Barclays Ball Kids training programme also provides children with the opportunity to build friendships, keep fit and develop a sense of team identity and camaraderie.
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