MUTUA MADRID OPEN TENNIS HAS MODELS AS BALL RETRIEVERS – (AND SOME BALL KIDS) THE ONLY PLAYER WE CAN REMEMBER MARRYING THEIR “BALL GIRL” WAS GREG RUSEDSKI AND HIS LOVELY LUCY

Written by: Staff on 7th May 2016

MUTUA MADRID OPEN TENNIS HAS MODELS AS BALL RETRIEVERS - (AND SOME BALL KIDS) THE ONLY PLAYER WE CAN REMEMBER MARRYING THEIR "BALL GIRL" WAS GREG RUSEDSKI AND HIS LOVELY LUCY

epa04742332 epa04742303 British tennis player Andy Murray holds his winner trophy as he poses for a family photo with ball girls after defeating Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal in the Mutua Madrid Tennis Open tournament's final match in Madrid, Spain, 10 May 2015. Murray won 3-6 amd 2-6. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN |

By 10sBalls Staff

The thing about the Madrid Mutua Open tournament’s ball kids is they cause excessive drooling. At most professional events, tournaments employ young tennis players for the nominal fee of a sandwich, a t-shirt and the opportunity to be up close to their idols. That they have to take a sweaty towel and cover a few miles chasing tennis balls is a small price for the chance to stand adjacent to a top five player and have him or her give the kids a high five.

In Madrid, however, tournament owner Ion Tiriac had a different idea. The tournament contacted a local modeling agency, and after some training, covered the stadium court with supermodels. In fact, there are several teams of gorgeous females rotating through the ball kid positions and attracting the sort of hard stares and whistles one might expect of someone losing a puppy. Although they wouldn’t allow press to do interviews with the ladies, we’ve done some investigative reporting and uncovered the following:

Several men have been slapped by their girlfriends who’ve caught them watching the models rather than the tennis.

At least one professional tennis player has run over time during the changeovers as he dropped into a thousand yard stare when one of the ballgirls stood right beside him.

The models took a minimum of two training days before being allowed on court, and they are all being paid well for their employment.

When the players enter the court, the models form two rows for them to jog between, and the models are doing far more observing of the players than vice versa.

When the models enter, they jog around the entire court before assuming their positions and at least half of the stadium either whistles or applauds the effort.

Most of the models are very good at their ballperson duties, with some exhibiting extraordinary hand-eye coordination. One girl caught a 120 mph+ serve with one hand and the crowd went nuts. Another showed nearly as much speed as Nadal as she scooted across the court to whispers of “Whoa, did you see that?”

The cameramen have developed an affinity for the models and as a result, we’ve seen a few minor glitches in the camerawork

When the models are taking snack breaks, teenage boys tend to migrate towards them, regardless of how hard they try to move away.

They all wear well-fitted shorts and black t-shirts and perform their duties professionally, smiling to take pictures with fans and staying hydrated between matches.

Staring at professional athletes provides an aesthetic beauty. Adding gorgeous humans only enhances the tournament’s overall ability to attract people with attractive people. Congratulations to the Mutua Madrid Open for adding dimensions to the event.