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Kilmore ballkids shine at tennis

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KILMORE Tennis Club junior players Lisa Gallagher and Olivia Kelly took part in a rare opportunity this summer, serving as ballkids at a range of tennis competitions in Melbourne during the summer.

Assisted by club coach Gavin Moreira, who helped teach correct form and technique in weekly lessons, the girls took part in trials across Victoria in May last year for a chance at a spot as a ballkid among more than 1500 applicants.

Both made it through the first round, with Kelly making it to the second round to become a fully-fledged 2023 Australian Open ballkid among 393 others who made up the final squad.

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Gallagher was also given the opportunity take part in a program to train with members of the Australian Open squad at the National Tennis Centre.

Gallagher said they were committed to becoming ballkids, taking part in multiple intensive training sessions late last year.

“Once a month from August to November 2022, we made the journey into Melbourne Park to undergo difficult training sessions lasting for over two hours at a time, however we were rewarded with an ice cream,” she said.

“Towards the end of the year to enhance our match play skills, we assisted in various tennis events, such as the blind and vision impaired tournament, deaf and hard of hearing, and a wheelchair tennis tournament.”

In early December, Gallagher was selected to take part in the Kooyong Classic, where she spent time on court with players including Andy Murray, Alex Di Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Dominic Thiem.

She also participated in the Hume Wheelchair Tournament in Craigieburn, spending four days assisting international wheelchair tennis players.

“Being behind the scenes of a major tennis tournament allowed me to understand the time and effort that was put into successfully running the tournament, from little things such as making sure the fridges were stocked, to holding umbrellas for the players and media,” Gallagher said.

In early January, Kelly took part in an orientation day for ballkids at Melbourne Park before the beginning of the Australian Open, and she said being on court at Rod Laver Arena with Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev was a highlight.

“Being able to take part in the summer of tennis ballkids programs allowed us to further our skills and also allowed us to make new friends and memories and be provided with rewarding experiences we won’t forget,” she said.

In recognition of their hard work, Gallagher was granted tickets to the Kooyong Classic and the Australian Open to share with her family.

Kelly received limited edition Australian Open tennis uniforms, a dozen free tickets throughout the event, as well as a hoodie, towel, gift cars and AirPods.

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