The children used towels to clean the floor after a sudden rain shower.
Video of Australian Open ball boys hand-drying the court sparked outrage on social media. The clip shows a line of ball boys on their hands and knees hand-drying a pitch after a downpour interrupted the opening set of the Elena Rybakina-Jelena Ostapenko women’s quarterfinal on Tuesday. The puddles had covered the track and authorities said they will need several minutes to close the roof of Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, according to News hub. So the authorities called on prom kids to mop the floor with towels.
Watch the video:
Ball kids from Rod Laver Arena are currently drying the court with towels on their knees in 2023! @Australian Openpic.twitter.com/xnfsb4ENg4
— Courtside Hospitality – Luxury 🎾 Experiences ✈️🌎 (@LuxTennisTours) January 24, 2023
The images stunned social media users with many reacting in disbelief.
“Unpaid prom kids mopping a wet court with towels when there was a high chance of rain. Just…” one user tweeted.
“If you’re involved in sports technology, or someone who’s innovative, there’s definitely a better and more efficient way to drain a tennis court. I mean, in 2023, this is ridiculous,” said host and sports broadcaster Shane McInnes on Twitter . .
“This needs to be discussed and addressed. It’s appalling to see this in a live audience – a better solution is needed,” tweeted a fan who attended the match.
According to news.com.auAbout 2,500 children apply to become prom kids each year, of which less than one in five actually become successful.
Those who do make it then work under Melbourne’s strict conditions and unpredictable weather conditions, especially in January.
Ball kids who work at the US Open are paid $15 per hour, while at Wimbledon they are paid a flat rate of $351 per week, the outlet went on to say.
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