Ball People: The Competitive Life of the US Open Ball Crew | GQ Sports
GQ Sports presents Scott Lazer's new short documentary, "Ball People." The film explores the lives of the US Open Ball Crew who might go overlooked when retrieving and supplying balls for players and officials, but their journeys and love for the sport make them true unsung heroes of the tournament.
Production Company: Pomp&Clout
Production Company: Pomp&Clout
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
00:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:06 - All these eyes on you.
00:12 Roar of the crowd.
00:15 The players, the fans, the officials.
00:18 It weighs on you.
00:27 But then once you start getting into it, once you start to work,
00:30 it's really like any other court.
00:33 But it isn't.
00:35 It's Arthur Ashe.
00:36 You make it to this court, and there's a reason for that.
00:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:48 - Just run across.
01:02 Just run across.
01:03 - All right, row, row, row.
01:08 - On, and the next one.
01:10 - All right, row, row.
01:13 - Stay with it.
01:14 Just come across.
01:16 Roll him, roll him.
01:18 - Wait for it to hit the net.
01:20 Wait for it to hit the net.
01:22 - Roll.
01:23 - Out of.
01:25 - Yeah, keep going.
01:26 Keep going.
01:27 And let's rotate.
01:28 - All right, ready?
01:29 Go.
01:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:33 - One, two.
01:39 - You can switch.
01:40 Try not to wait.
01:41 Now I'm going to go to the tee.
01:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:46 - Thank you.
01:49 Thank you.
01:54 - You got six over there?
01:55 - One out.
01:58 - All right, guys.
02:03 Everyone's hitting a ball through tryouts.
02:06 - The ball crew are the ones on court helping the players
02:10 transition through the match.
02:12 This year we had 850 people apply.
02:15 And then we invited 500 to the tryouts.
02:18 So that's where we get to see them out on court.
02:21 And then from there, we'll do all the evaluations together
02:24 and see where they sit.
02:26 And then we'll make our selections.
02:28 - All right, two in the middle.
02:31 Two at each corner.
02:32 Not up here.
02:34 Not down here.
02:35 Not here.
02:36 Shoulder up.
02:37 Showing both balls.
02:39 One bounce.
02:41 It's in the wrist.
02:42 Get this knee down.
02:44 Release low.
02:45 Then roll.
02:46 But the next one is like a step, step, and then another roll.
02:49 - Wait for the ball to hit the net.
02:52 - No backpedaling, right?
02:55 Gotta take it-- let's take it a little serious, all right?
02:57 Let's go.
02:58 - Nice.
02:58 78, 213.
03:05 Roll.
03:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:10 - It's my first time trying out to be a ball person.
03:12 So I hope I get it.
03:13 That's the best seat in the house,
03:15 obviously, right on court.
03:17 You're basically playing with them.
03:20 - It's a totally different world from watching it on television.
03:22 The ball just flies off the racket.
03:24 So actually getting to be on the court,
03:27 that would be a dream come true for me.
03:29 - So coming here, I was really nervous.
03:33 Because I didn't know if other people had done this before.
03:36 They played tennis, so they're more familiar with it.
03:38 But I know that they have to hire a lot of people.
03:41 So I feel like since there's more spots,
03:43 I might have a chance of getting in.
03:47 - I've wanted to do this for many years.
03:49 And it just kind of never worked out.
03:51 I'm 34 years old.
03:52 I feel like life's going to--
03:54 life's going to get going faster.
03:56 And you just never know when you'll
03:58 have another chance to do it.
04:01 - You know what I think is very unique about this program
04:04 is the fact that they opened up to people of all ages.
04:07 I feel like that really embodies inclusiveness.
04:11 Even if you're 60, you have that agility.
04:13 You have that endurance.
04:15 Why can't you be a ball person?
04:18 - Guys, again, we've been watching
04:20 a lot of very casual running and strolling across the net.
04:25 Like, again, do run if you know already
04:29 after you see them running.
04:30 - You and I know it.
04:32 Five minutes.
04:34 - As the ball person crew, you spend a lot of time
04:36 together over three weeks.
04:37 And you and Sal and I have known each other for a long time.
04:40 We've experienced a lot of the same experiences on court.
04:43 We've worked together on court.
04:45 - Here, you see this orange theory?
04:47 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:47 - I joined it last year.
04:49 - Yeah.
04:49 - You know, these are lifelong friends
04:51 that we've gotten to know over the years.
04:53 So yeah, it's-- you know, we take it seriously.
04:55 But it's a fun job.
04:57 Try and inspire them by telling them, hey,
04:59 we were all once young ball people too.
05:03 Don't be afraid.
05:04 Like, we're here to help each other out.
05:07 - At the end of the day, you're part of a team
05:09 that so few people in the world get to experience.
05:13 Get down low.
05:14 Hey, instead of tossing like this, no bounces.
05:17 You're all right.
05:18 It's all right.
05:18 - One and two.
05:23 Go.
05:25 - Sometimes it's not as easy as it looks to roll and catch
05:28 a ball.
05:29 - Stay with it.
05:30 - Again, let it roll into your fingers.
05:31 Don't try and trap it.
05:33 - Take a few steps up towards the player.
05:35 No jogging.
05:35 No jogging.
05:36 No jogging.
05:37 - Tie your shoes.
05:39 - We're going to get you guys some real shoes.
05:41 - Yeah.
05:42 - Oh.
05:45 - If you didn't like that, we'll say, try and catch
05:46 the ball like this.
05:47 - 2-5-9.
05:48 That's what I was getting at.
05:49 He's huffing and puffing.
05:50 - Yeah, I think he's just overall confused,
05:53 concentration-wise.
05:54 I'd probably score that, but low.
05:56 - Definitely a better--
05:57 - Better turnout than yesterday.
05:59 - Well, turnout in terms of--
06:01 - Skill.
06:01 - --crawlability.
06:02 - Skill set.
06:03 And wanting to be here.
06:04 Some of those people yesterday, it was like someone
06:06 just dropped them off.
06:07 - Yeah.
06:09 - You guys want to try out?
06:10 Let's go.
06:12 - I just need you out of the house for about 45 minutes
06:15 to an hour.
06:16 - All right, you're on to jog after you get the ball.
06:20 - How do you get to be a ball person?
06:22 You try out.
06:24 I tried out and was asked to join the team in '78, '79,
06:28 and '80.
06:30 My wife, she said, hey, Andrew, I just got an email saying
06:35 they're looking for ball people this year.
06:37 I think you should try out.
06:38 So here I am.
06:41 The evaluators are very fair.
06:43 The evaluators look for you to have fun.
06:47 But you have to be athletic to be a ball person.
06:50 There's no two ways about it.
06:52 You cannot come out here expecting anything less.
06:56 I've got this finger crossed.
06:58 You know what they say about crossing too many, right?
07:00 So I'm pretty confident, but you're never too confident.
07:04 There's a lot of good people here.
07:06 So I'm always hoping.
07:07 - I think it went pretty well.
07:13 - It's pretty competitive.
07:14 So you never know.
07:17 - I think probably not.
07:19 I think I will probably not make the team.
07:22 - I hope so.
07:23 I'm not sure.
07:24 Like, I don't know what the other groups before me
07:26 or after me are going to be like.
07:28 - You know, it's always tough competing with younger kids.
07:30 - It is very, very intense.
07:32 It is not what I expected.
07:33 - When I was throwing the ball, I kind of
07:34 threw it over the net a few times.
07:35 - I think I can do it.
07:37 I think I will make the team.
07:38 - I hope I make the team.
07:39 - I do think I'm going to make the team.
07:40 I'm very confident.
07:41 - I feel confident.
07:42 - OK, so I'm about to open my email from the ball crew
07:53 tryouts to see if I got the job.
07:57 So let's see, guys.
07:59 Dear Catherine, thank you for attending the 2022 US Open Ball
08:03 Crew tryouts.
08:05 After an overwhelming attendance at this year's tryouts,
08:08 we regret to inform you--
08:10 - You have not been selected.
08:12 Oh, that's OK.
08:14 - Congratulations.
08:15 We would like to invite you to be in the 2022 ball crew.
08:19 There it is.
08:20 Wow.
08:21 - We regret to inform you that you have not
08:23 been selected for this year's ball crew team.
08:25 [SCREAMING]
08:27 - I'm so happy to have been given this opportunity.
08:30 - This is literally a dream come true.
08:34 - Obviously a disappointing email.
08:37 But you know, there's always next year.
08:40 - Oh, well, at least I got this sweet shirt that
08:42 says ball crew tryouts on it.
08:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:03 [APPLAUSE]
09:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:33 - I did not get chosen this year.
09:47 But I'm not giving up.
09:48 I'm going to come back next year and try again.
09:51 Everyone I look at down here is great.
09:54 They deserve the opportunity, just like I had,
09:57 because it's something they'll take with them
09:59 for the rest of their life.
10:00 And then they'll be coming back here when they're my age
10:03 and saying, hey, guess what?
10:04 I did this.
10:05 [APPLAUSE]
10:07 They're the unsung heroes, I think, for the tournament,
10:09 because nobody gives them a lot of acknowledgment.
10:13 You don't even hear a peep from them.
10:17 I haven't even seen them really walk in the grounds.
10:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:01 - Did you ever see 2001, A Space Oddity?
11:04 - Remind me.
11:05 I'm probably not.
11:06 - So at the center of the film is a computer game.
11:11 - You made it through ball of mine,
11:19 beginning of main draw.
11:20 You made it through the beginning of doubles.
11:22 Today started mixed doubles.
11:24 Those dead balls, we want to make sure we are sprinting to,
11:26 right?
11:27 We don't want to be jogging to those balls.
11:28 Treat it like every ball needs to be gotten.
11:31 Every ball is a loose ball that is yours.
11:33 Competition, can I get to it first?
11:35 Catching serves during warm-ups--
11:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:40 - A lot of people will say, yeah, I've watched tennis before.
11:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:46 But you'll probably watch tennis a little differently.
11:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:52 [APPLAUSE]
11:56 - My wife doesn't like watching tennis with me,
11:59 because I look at the ball people,
12:02 look at their weather position sometimes, or a lot of times.
12:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:09 If someone would say that anybody can do the job,
12:17 I'd say yes and no.
12:19 But you can't just step on the court thinking
12:23 that you know what to do.
12:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:27 You magically appear and then magically disappear.
12:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:33 Focus shouldn't really be on us.
12:36 But for that short amount of time,
12:41 everyone's really waiting for you.
12:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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13:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]