‘No Ball Kids Available?’- Naomi Osaka Sends Tennis Fans Into a Frenzy in Awkward Moment at WTA Libéma Open

It’s not easy being a ball kid on the tennis court! In a game where the individuals standing inside the 78ft x 27ft dimensions grab most of the attention, the ball kids skittering around with agility rarely get the spotlight. But their important role is undeniable, and to be in the presence of the best players? Many consider it prestigious, especially since a few professionals were ball kids first. Roger Federer was one of them. However, a recent incident with Naomi Osaka at the Libema Open has caused many people to question the rules of racquet sports.

The Japanese star advanced to her second quarterfinal of the 2024 season and her first on grass courts since 2018 after a second-round victory against the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens at the Libema Open. However, a weird moment before the match even started took away some of the limelight from her emphatic triumph! In a tradition that has become a part of almost every match in professional tennis, Osaka entered the court holding hands with a ball kid. Nothing out of the ordinary about that, right? Well, there was.

Tennis fans have gotten used to seeing players walk out with ball kids who are usually around 11 to 15 years old. However, Osaka seemed to have walked onto the court holding hands with a ball kid who looked older, so much so that fans even called them a “grown man.” The 26-year-old didn’t pay any heed to the outside noise, though. As her usual courteous self, she walked with the ball boy to her chair, thanked them, and carried on with her pre-match preparation.

Fully focused on bringing her A-game to the grass, that’s precisely what she did. Naomi Osaka defeated Lamens comfortably by 6-2,6-2 in just 54 minutes, and she said she was quite “grateful” to be back on grass courts. “I definitely do feel more relaxed. I feel more calm with the plan I have and just really grateful to be back,” Osaka said. She revealed the key to her god form was to be “more comfortable returning and accepting mistakes as they come.”

The former World No.1 is currently ranked 125th in the world with a win-loss record of 13-10 this season. She’ll definitely be looking forward to improving her numbers before starting her campaign at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Set to face Bianca Andreescu next – who’s also making a comeback – the quarterfinal matchup will be one to watch. 

As the tennis community looks forward to that match, many fans couldn’t help but comment on the strange incident featuring Osaka and the ball kid at the S-Hertogenbosch before her Round of 16 match. When a user posted this clip on Reddit, it unsurprisingly drew a wide range of reactions from them.

Naomi Osaka may have “found humor” in the tradition of hand-holding that fans mocked

The average age of ball kids at Wimbledon is 15 years, 12-15 for the Australian Open and 12-16 for the French Open. In the US Open, although the average age of ball kids is supposed to be around 14 to 18 years of age, there have been times when there have been a few exceptional cases. However, to see Naomi Osaka holding hands with the ball kid made a fan say, “I’ve always wondered why they make them hold hands with the person they walk out with. I feel like it’d be fine if they just walk side by side, lol.”

It’s no secret that Osaka isn’t too big a fan of the spotlight. That’s to say that she’s much more of an introvert than an extrovert. From the clip, it was evident that the 26-year-old was feeling a little awkward, but maybe holding hands and walking was less uncomfortable than walking side by side. Who knows? Commenting on the hilarity of the decade-long tradition, a fan wrote, “I can’t stop laughing at this especially knowing how awkward Naomi is.” But many fans noticed how the incident wasn’t awkward only for the player.

“At least the experience seemed equally uncomfortable for them both,” wrote one. The thing is, though, Naomi Osaka has a knack for finding humor in the smallest of interactions. Remember how, in her first-round match against Elise Mertens, when a shot the Belgian hit clipped the net and fell inside the court? Glued to the center line, Osaka hilariously tracked the ball with her eyes and head, making for one of the match’s highlights, especially after the Japanese couldn’t help but chuckle. Referring to this personality trait, a fan commented, “I feel like she saw the humor in it.”

Another fan recalled the “Carlitos Effect,” i.e. when a ball kid had an adorable yet hilarious reaction after seeing Carlos Alcaraz walk past him. Connecting that to Naomi Osaka’s incident, they wrote, “School break over? No ball kids available? At least he wasn’t giving Naomi that total adoration look like the kid did to Carlos… that would be more creepy.”

When it comes to the age of ball kids, there have been instances at the US Open when we’ve witnessed them having no upper age limit. They simply give chances to those young at heart and agile in their movements. However, doing the same at the Libema Open drew flak from the tennis world. A fan asked, “They had to hold hands with a grown man, too?”

Balls kids were first introduced to the game in 1977 at Wimbledon. Since then, it’s been a tradition to hold hands. Sometimes, it makes for quite an adorable moment between the player and the ball kid, but that’s only when they’re a “kid,” per fans. “It’s cute when it’s a little kid but decidedly weird when it’s a teenager,” wrote a user. Fans looked quite surprised by this idea, and their reactions spoke their minds. Share your thoughts on this incident in the comments!