Wimbledon to take firm line on treatment of ball kids

Wimbledon is prepared to take action against players who behave badly towards ball boys and girls and plans to discuss the matter with representatives of men's and women's tennis, commercial director Mick Desmond said on Wednesday.

The subject became a hot topic last week after Spaniard Fernando Verdasco was pilloried on social media for appearing to berate a ball boy for not bringing his towel quickly enough at the Shenzhen Open. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka also drew online criticism for shaking an empty water bottle in the direction of a ball boy in Beijing last week before tossing it to the floor.

Swiss tennis great and eight times Wimbledon winner Roger Federer, himself a ball boy in his youth, said on Tuesday that players needed to respect the kids, who are all unpaid volunteers at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon winner Andy Murray's mother Judy asked on Twitter after the Verdasco incident: "What about a rule that makes players get their own towels? And the ball kids just look after the tennis balls." Next month's Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, the season-ending tournament for the best Under-21 male players, plans to do just that with players instructed to use a towel rack.

https://www.dailysabah.com/tennis/2018/10/10/wimbledon-to-take-firm-line-on-treatment-of-ball-kids-after-verdascos-sweaty-towel-rant