Warrnambool teenager Luke Robson had a ball on court with the Australian Open winners.
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Luke, 14, was given the opportunity to take up ballkid duties at the 2024 international tournament in Melbourne, which included stints for the biggest matches on Margaret Court and Rod Laver arenas.
"The experience was pretty good, probably being on the centre court for (Italian player Jannik) Sinner and (Russian player Andrey) Rublev for the quarter-finals, that was a really good experience," he said.
World number four Sinner beat Rublev before taking out the 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic, and ultimately winning the tournament against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
It was Luke's longest time on court with the match running for two hours and 39 minutes and did not finish until 1.21am.
"It was just the crowd and the vibe and all that, it got to me but I wasn't nervous about it," he said.
"Going through the tunnel under Rod Laver Arena was amazing."
Luke was also given an opportunity to be on the court for the women's singles quarter-finals on the same day, where the now reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka beat ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova.
He was also invited to take part in the tournament's opening ceremony at Melbourne Park on January 14.
Luke stood alongside the tournament trophies which were carried out by former tennis champions Andre Agassi and Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
He was also appointed to the junior girls' final on January 27, among other matches across the tournament.
Luke said he was keen to get back on court for the tournament in the future.
Luke's father, Mark, said his son had built on his skills throughout the three-week campaign.
"The hard work in training for the event and solid performances on court during the event were rewarded with appearances on arena courts as well as the junior girls' final," Mr Robson said.
He said Luke was able to show off his skills on the net and the base line, along with servicing the players as required.
"Luke experienced singles, doubles, junior matches (singles and doubles), and working with players with intellectual impairments participating in a tournament," Mr Robson said.
Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
