GRANTHAM teenager Andrew Isaac couldn’t hide his delight after finally getting up close and personal with the cream of world tennis in last year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
Thirteen-year-old Andrew won a nationwide competition to be a ball boy at the O2 Arena and was on court for, among many others, world number one Rafael Nadal’s 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win over American Andy Roddick.
Andrew appeared in front of 20,000 spectators and millions more on the television screens every day during the London event.
And after his hectic week in the spotlight, the Priory Ruskin Academy pupil – who saw off 1,600 other children to get his 15 minutes of fame – admitted it had been an experience to savour.
He said: “It was a fantastic week and I really enjoyed it all. The atmosphere on court was absolutely brilliant. It was really scary before you first ran on to the court but once you got used to it, you were able to enjoy it.
“I’ll definitely remember the experience for a long time and being so close to so many of the world’s best players was amazing.”
The final was won by Andrew’s idol Roger Federer, and British number one Andy Murray, who was knocked out at the semi-final stage by two-times Wimbledon champion Nadal, was quick to pay tribute to the work of Isaac and his fellow ‘ball kids’.
Murray said: “The ball kids did a great job all week and I know all the players were impressed with how they performed in front of such big crowds every day.”
• For information on how to become a Barclays Ball Kid at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London visit this site.