Tennis fans are calling for the ball kids to be given wearable water at the Australian Open after a young girl collapsed and had to be assisted from the court on Sunday. World No.112 Zeynep Sonmez noticed the girl stumble backwards and fall while she was standing near the umpire’s chair during her clash with 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The ball girl attempted to resume her position but stumbled again, prompting Sonmez to rush to her aid. The Turkish player put her arm around the girl and walked her off the court, but not before the girl fell again and needed assistance.
Zeynep Sonmez rushed to help the Australian Open ball girl after noticing her struggling. Image: TNT Sports
It was the second incident of a ball kid collapsing in just a few days after a similar situation during a match between Luca van Assche and Moez Echargui in qualifying. Unfortunately it’s become all-too common, with at least one ball kid incident seeming to take place every Australian Open.
The kids are given regular water breaks whenever the players change ends, but it’s hard for them to acclimatise and train for the conditions. The temperature hit 28 degrees at Melbourne Park on Sunday, and it’s often hotter on court due to the sun reflecting off the playing surface.
With a number of ball kid incidents in recent years, fans are suggesting ways to make things easier on them. A popular change that many have pointed out is to give the kids ‘wearable water’ in the form of CamelBaks or similar products.
A CamelBak is a pouch of water that a person can wear like a back-pack, with a hose that goes to the mouth for drinking. It would allow the ball kids to be constantly consuming water, rather than just during breaks.
One person wrote online: “I think these tournaments need to give their ball kids a wearable, like that one placed on the arm like for volleyball players and other athletes.” Another person commented: “These kids need to have CamelBaks to ensure they are keeping up their hydration. You can have all the sun protection in the world but it’s not going to stop dehydration.”
Zeynep Sonmez assisted the ball kid after she fainted. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)Zeynep Sonmez speaks out after Aus Open ball kid incident
Sonmez said after the match: “I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player. It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I’m happy I got to help.”
The emerging Turkish player stunned Alexandrova with a 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory for the biggest win of her career. Alexandrova was one of four seeded players knocked out on the first day, joining Flavio Cobolli, Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska.