Emily Murphy (Port Augusta, SA) and Nikita Boldyrev (Oakden, SA) are set to represent South Australia in the 2019 Australian Open Ballkid Squad after being selected for the official Interstate Ballkid Visitor Program.<\/p>\n
Emily and Nikita were outstanding participants in the 2017\/18 Ballkid Squads, showing a willingness to listen, learn and improve with every training session and match.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so excited to be able to Ballkid at the Australian Open,\u201d said Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it is the first time someone from Port Augusta has had this opportunity and I am lucky it is me…I really hope I can Ballkid for Roger Federer or Daria Gavrilova!<\/p>\n
\u201cI am lucky to have had such great coaches last year. I can’t wait to tell all my friends and family because I know this experience will be awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I initially heard the news, I was\u00a0speechless and so excited about being an Australian Open ballkid,\u201d said Nikita.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am extremely thrilled to have one of my primary\u00a0dreams\u00a0finally\u00a0come true. I can’t wait to be a part of the whole AO experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The official Interstate Ballkid Visitor Program representatives will attend intensive on court training sessions, an official Australian Open induction and orientation days during 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very proud to announce that Emily and Nikita will be representing South Australia at the Australian Open in 2019,\u201d said Breanna Hassam, Manager of the World Tennis Challenge Ballkid Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth Emily and Nikita have been fantastic members of our Ballkid team and are very worthy recipients of this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe chance to represent South Australia at the Australian Open is the opportunity of a lifetime for them both, and we wish them all the very best of luck,\u201d Hassam added.<\/p>\n
Ballkids play an integral role in ensuring that tennis tournaments run smoothly. Throughout the Australian Open series, each ballkid is a focal part of every game, be it at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne or at the Brisbane International, Hobart International,\u00a0Apia International Sydney or South Australia\u2019s very own, World Tennis Challenge!<\/p>\n