Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WINSTON-SALEM — The Winston-Salem Open will hold tryouts for ball persons from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6. The tryouts are open to the public and will be held at the Wake Forest University Indoor Tennis Center at 100 West 32^nd Street (adjacent to Truist Field).

Candidates for ball persons must understand the game of tennis, including how to keep score; be able to move quickly; be willing to endure lengthy tennis matches in the sun; have excellent hand-eye coordination; and work well with others on a team. Ball persons must be 12 years old by Aug. 1 to qualify. The tournament requests that all applicants attend a minimum of two of the four two-hour training sessions from 4 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 9, 11, 16 and 18 at the Wake Forest University Indoor Tennis Center.

“Many of our past ball persons missed the tournament experience last year. We missed you, too, and look forward to having you back on the court with some of the world’s best tennis players this August,” Winston-Salem Open Tournament Director Jeff Ryan said. “You can’t get any closer to the action on the courts than by serving as a ball person, but it’s not an easy job. In addition to our basic requirements, we require ball persons to possess excellent citizenship and be people who are team players.

“Volunteering as a ball person at the Winston-Salem is the ideal way to get involved in the great sport of tennis. If you’re interested in serving as a ball person volunteer, this will be one of the highlights of your summer,” Ryan added.  “All applicants should be knowledgeable about tennis rules, be able to stand and run for a least an hour and must be able to concentrate for extended periods. I also want to emphasize that ball persons must be willing to attend two training sessions and be available for possible work during the entire tournament. There are no exceptions to these rules.”

Applicants are asked to wear appropriate athletic clothes to the tryouts and cannot wear shoes with black soles. Ball persons serve as volunteers, and there is no fee to apply. More information, including online registration, is available at WinstonSalemOpen.com under the “Volunteers” tab at the top right of the homepage, by emailing ballpersons@winstonsalemopen.com.

For more information on the Winston-Salem Open, including ticket sales and special packages, go to WinstonSalemOpen.com.