“It’s a dream to be here.” On the court of the Rod Laver Arena, during the match between the Polish Iga Swiatek and the Slovak Rebecca Sramkova, Thursday January 16, the ball boys performed with precision and fluidity. In the center of the court, two of them are distinguished by a detail on their blue caps: a tricolor flag. Antoine, 15 years old, and Juliette, 16 years old, are French and were designated as the best collectors, boy and girl, of the 2024 edition of the Roland-Garros tournament last May, out of the 280 young people playing on the Tennis courts. the Auteuil gate.
They are thus part of an exchange program with the Australian Open (the only one between the Grand Slams), which will in turn send two of its best collectors to Paris next spring. Put on hold since Covid in 2020, this historic partnership – dating from 2016 – will therefore see the light of day again in 2025. Six Chinese and 20 Koreans are also increasing the number of collectors. “I discover a lot of different cultures, like the Asian culture which is very present here.”remarks Antoine, amazed like Juliette by this dive into a new world.
Antoine and Juliette only had a short time on the court this time, as the Pole, world number 2, dispatched the match (one hour of play, 6-0, 6-2). Between two rotations, the French duo meets us in one of their rest rooms, in the basement of the John Cain Arena. In this room in the colors of the tournament, blue and black, half of a wall has been covered by drawings made by the collectors of the 2025 edition. The logo of the Australian Open is represented several times, under all its forms, like the carrot in reference to fans of the Italian Jannik Sinner. A fresco was also installed on another wall, repeating the colorful and childish graphic style of the tournament. Rainbow, tennis balls, musical instruments and hamburgers share the canvas on a blue background.
Arriving at the beginning of January for the qualifications, Antoine and Juliette made the trip with two guides, including Léo Mazet, deputy head of the ball boy service, who takes care of their recruitment and training at Roland-Garros. For their first trip away from home without their loved ones, it's a unique adventure: “People are very nice and welcoming here,” testifies Antoine. “They are very open, confirms Juliette, more than in France. It's not the same mentality, it makes you think. And they are very independent, even though many are younger than me.”
Benefiting from this exchange program is above all “an incredible life experience”, insists Léo Mazet. “This objective also stimulates the children during Roland-Garros, they push themselves to the top and give their best, in the spirit of healthy competition,” he continues.
“Participating in Roland-Garros is a first dream. And for the best of them, we can realize a second dream, which is the Australian Open.”
Léo Mazet, deputy head of the ball collector serviceat franceinfo: sport
The experience also allows the French ball collectors to draw inspiration from the Australian method. “They had night sessions before us, and had the idea of doing morning and evening shifts for the collectors, hence their greater number than at Roland-Garros [280]. We have resumed their operation”, recognizes Léo Mazet. The pickers therefore make fewer rotations than in France, which means “frustrate a little” the French. “They find that they are not collecting enough. They have collected for four days, they have no aches, smiled their supervisor. When the Australians come to France, it will be funny for them.”
-However, not everything is good to take, according to him. In Melbourne, collectors get up every 45 minutes, in all circumstances. “I'm not necessarily convinced by the method because if it's 40 degrees, which is possible here, it's not fun to stay until the end. At Roland-Garros, the supervisor will adapt the day according to depending on the rhythm, the heat and sometimes only doing rotations of 20 minutes for example”develops Léo Mazet. Another difference: the food. “Here, they eat anything. There is a lot of fast food, while we advocate healthy eating,” he points out, pointing to the meal of one of the Australian collectors. On the menu: fries and well-known American soda.
On site, the French delegation is supported by Tennis Australia, the Australian federation, for accommodation and meals. Then, like the other 418 ball boys of this edition, they are assigned a court and a team for the day. As in Paris, they are also evaluated. “We don't like to throw flowers at each other, but for the moment, we're very much on top of it, rejoices the French official. Since the start of the main draw, they have only been on the big courts, including the Rod Laver Arena, which they discovered on Wednesday. he congratulates himself again. French training is thus recognized beyond its borders. “It was pretty incredible because we see the Rod Laver Arena on TV and we didn’t imagine that one day we would be there,” says Antoine, still amazed.
“His size impressed me and the distances to cover are immense on the court.”
Juliette, French ball boyat franceinfo: sport
But her most beautiful memory remains the first match of the Australian Nick Kyrgios, in which she was able “pick up”. “ThereThe atmosphere was incredible, and the Australians were excited. It was one of the best atmospheres I've ever experienced.” she remembers. For his part, Antoine will remember his fifteenth birthday, celebrated at the Australian Open. “The other collectors gave me a cake and gifts. It was really a beautiful moment that I won’t forget,” he remembers.
Thursday evening, only the “beautiful memories”. After two weeks spent in Melbourne, the small French delegation returns to France on Friday January 17, and the teenagers will return to school on Monday. “Returning to reality is going to be a bit hard,” Antoine is already anticipating. Léo Mazet is already thinking of 2026, where “we should return to three weeks, as was the case before 2020″ in Melbourne. A future already far away for Juliette, who wore her pick-up uniform for the last time. “What a dream to have been able to experience this, savors the high school student. It's my last day here and I'm finishing up on the Rod Laver before I retire as a picker. I couldn't have dreamed of anything better. It's incredible”, she smiled. Collectors cannot exceed the age of 16. Antoine will have the opportunity to return once again to Roland-Garros, and perhaps to meet one of his new Australian friends next May.
