What's it like being a ball kid at the China Open? Here's what they said
BEIJING -- The China Open’s ball-kid program begins well before the first ball is struck, with 250 young candidates selected through trials beginning in August before the final group is chosen after an evaluation period.
This year, that group includes 236 ball kids -- 228 from China, four from Australia through a partnership with Tennis Australia and four from France through a collaboration with Roland Garros.
"Everyday is filled with joy when they're on court. They're happy, we try to make them healthy and we try to make them enjoy the time spent in China," Chloe Rong, Senior Manager of Competition Services, said. "That's our most important job, and [as long as] they're having fun, that's our job."
Some of the tournament's top ball kids were made available to the media, and here's what they had to say:
Zhang Xinyue, 16
Zhang, of China, found out about the possibility of being a China Open ball kid online through WeChat, and she applied instantly.
She brings Grand Slam experience to this year's Beijing group, serving as a ball kid at Roland Garros in 2025, where she was grateful to make many friends. Part of the partnership with Roland Garros is that the China Open will send its top ball kids to Paris.
"I think it's very exciting for me," Zhang said. "It's a really good memory and experience to meet people and friends all over the world and experience famous and great players in tennis."
Zhang's favorite player is Zheng Qinwen, who is into the fourth round in Beijing. She's been following Zheng's journey after her elbow injury and recovery through the 2026 season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, where the highlight was reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open out of qualifying.
"One of my favorite Chinese players is Zheng Qinwen," Zhang said. "I'm really glad to see her come back to the court again after her injury for quite a long time. I think it's really good for her to come back to China open and perform great on the quarter."
Talon Mackenzie, 16
Mackenzie, of Australia, attended the Australian Open in Melbourne back in 2022 and instantly knew he wanted to be a ball kid.
So, he applied for the 2023 tournament, but then did not advance through the first round of qualifications. After skipping a year, he got accepted for the 2025 Australian Open and finished that tournament working the men's singles final.
As a result of his strong reputation, Tennis Australia selected Mackenzie and three others to work the China Open. The China Open will similar send their top ball kids to Melbourne in addition to Paris and vice versa through a similar partnership. In Beijing, the Australian and French ball kids have a badge of their flag on the side of their cap.
"I love tennis," Mackenzie said. "It's so awesome to just be on court with these players. It's the best seat in the house. I just tell my friends that there's no better way to spend January. It's to go to the AO."
One of the highlights was being a ball kid during on of Coco Gauff's matches at this year Australian Open during her run to the semifinal, and in Beijing, he had to chance to be on court with one of his favorite players, Alex de Minaur.
"It's so cool to see your idols playing on court," Mackenzie said. "You're so close to them, and you can hear their conversations and get an understanding of how they're playing and how they're thinking. It's such a completely different experience compared to being in the stands."
In Beijing, Mackenzie has also had the time to explore, going on a trip to the Great Wall of China and visiting Universal Studios with other ball kids.
On-site, he's enjoyed the thrilling atmosphere of the crowd and being on court during some of the entertaining matches with players the Chinese fans rally behind.
"China definitely does not disappoint for us, especially after a massive point and the crowd's going crazy," Mackenzie said. "All of us ball kids are doing our own thing under these pressure points, and the adrenaline rush is so crazy and so exciting."
Mackenzie has aged out of the Australian Open, so Beijing presents him the opportunity to bookend his ball kid career.
"To have one more opportunity to come out and be with the players again is really exciting, and I'm really grateful to be able to do this again," Mackenzie said.
Li Xiaoyi, 15
Li has been a ball kid for the past four years at the China Open, and feels that the tournament has improved every year. He also went to Melbourne for his first Grand Slam as part of the Tennis Australia partnership.
From both tournaments, Li has seen the subtle differences in how each event operates in terms of procedures and standards. He also has come to appreciate the exchange in cultures of the program.
"I think there are definitely differences in technique," Li said in Mandarin. "It's a process of mutual help and mutual improvement. We can also make friends and chat with them, which I think is pretty good."
Li's favorite part of the job is seeing five-star points on court-level, and then tossing the ball to the serving player at his request. Overall, every time he gets the 45 minutes per assignment to be on court, he soaks it all in.
"When I see those kinds of nice key shots, I also feel happy," Li said. Including when they ask me for the ball, I also get very excited. Every time I serve [as a ball kid] them, I get very excited."
Joshua Yapi, 16
Yapi is one of four representing France, and back in May and June, he served as a ball kid at Roland Garros. That was a requirement to come to Beijing, and due to his high performance, he was selected to come to China.
It's his first time in Beijing, and he's thorough enjoying his time at the tournament.
"I think it's a very good organization, and the complex is super big,," Yapi said in French. "I feel comfortable here, we are well supported, we have a lot of support, the supervisors are very cool with us and the other participants help us a lot, so frankly I feel very good about the [opportunity]."
Yapi gave a glimpse into the pre-match training the group undergoes ahead of their daily schedules.
They'll conduct a short warm-up before practicing their rolls from center court to the baseline and vice versa to ensure the process is smooth without any disruption.
"Off the field, we try to work on our roll technique so that everything is perfect," Yapi said. "Our rolls have to be flat, fast, and precise."
