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The best seat in the house for pro tennis is on the court where the ballpersons are the closest to players. Here a few ballkids share some of the memories of being on the court with the pros…

* “My most memorable story was getting admonished by Agassi on court in Cincinnati because I gave him a bottle of water he asked for but I forgot to peel off the label – he wasn’t sponsored by that brand.”

* “Pat Cash gave the ballboy next to me one of his checkered bandanas.”

* Ilie Nastase was the best. Always talking and cool with us. He would give away his racquets as well. I still have the adidas Nastase Competition wood frame he gave at one of the U.S. Opens in the 1970’s.”

* “I was a ballkid for Marcelo Rios at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. I could understand a lot of Spanish and the things he said were not appropriate to say to a minor. Every year I would get as many players as possible to autograph my event T-shirt. I don’t have a Rios autograph because I didn’t want it.”

* “Federer was playing a match against Marcos Baghdatis and he turned around and said, I’m so fu**ing off!! So I turn around to the line judge and I say, I wish I was that f***ing off. And I kinda guess I said it louder than I guess I should have. And then he ended up hearing me and turned around and said, Thank you. Anyway, the guy in the middle of a match, he didn’t need to turn around and say anything. Just the fact he acknowledged what I said and was still nice about it.’

* “I remember at the 1975 or 1976 U.S. Open we were asked to run to the nearest Waldbaum’s on Queens Boulevard to get Drakes Cakes for Martina Navratilova. She literally had a fit and the supervisor would send us to find and bring back boxes of Yodels, Funny Bones and Devil Dogs.”

* “I had a chat with Federer in Dubai. Federer was the most intimidating player to ballboy for. Not in his behavior but more the fact I was so worried about doing something wrong. Speaking to him off the court, he was so cool. But he was just such a different person as soon as he was on court. So focused, so zoned in. But still this incredible aura of calm.”

* “I was ball boy for Pete Sampras on Ashe Stadium, match. He was on the other side of the court, serving to the ad court. He served it 126 wide. An ace. And I caught it with one hand. It was a totally lucky catch. The crowd in Ashe kind of applauded. After the changeover Pete came over to my side of the court to receive serve and I was still in my position, on the back wall behind the ad court. And Pete kind of walked over to me, out of his way, before going to the deuce court, with his head down and quietly said, ‘Nice catch.’ Before walking over to his position in deuce court to receive serve.”

* “I was ballboy for a Carlos Moya match at the Lipton and he just lost and after the match he threw one of his soaking wet Nike shirts and it hit me right in the face!”

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