By Molly Magennis
The Australian Open has been serving up fun for a Maribyrnong local, who has landed a spot as a ballgirl in the tournament.
Alyssa Liberatore is one of 400 youngsters out of an initial 8000, who were chosen in the final round to be a ball kid for the 2022 Australian Open.
As a first year ball kid, Alyssa said she was really ecstatic when she got chosen after the selection period.
“[I was] really excited because I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said.
So far, Alyssa’s had the chance to share the court with many amazing tennis players, including a former Aussie US Open champion.
“I did Alexei Popyrin… and then I also did a doubles with Sam Stosur,” she said. “I’ve [also] done a few more international players.”
Alyssa said being in the spotlight in front of so many people can be a bit stressful.
“A few days ago I was on Kia Arena, it was really nerve-racking,” she said.
“[People] everywhere screaming and sometimes you’re on TV….you don’t want to make a mistake.”
The 14-year-old said that throughout the tournament, she’s not only been able to develop her skills, but also make a lot of new friends.
“My skills have really picked up, like my ball rolling and everything throughout the tournament’s progression. But yeah, I’ve made a lot of new friends because you get stuck with a group of six people for the whole day,”
Alyssa has enjoyed the whole experience so much that she’s already put in her application to be a ball kid again in 2023.
