How much are Grand Slams' ball kids paid?

The recent controversy at the Australian Open 2023 sparked their salary talks.

Ball kids play a vital role in the smooth conduct of tennis tournaments and currently close to 400 ball boys and girls are working at the Australian Open 2023. Major tournaments like the ATP 500 and 1000s and the grand slams pay a reasonable sum to the kids while there are few events which have only voluntary service.

Also, Australian Open does not pay ball kids and is deployed solely on a voluntary basis and the same is the case with French Open as well. Ball kids at the Australian and French Open are compensated by providing free tickets to their families along with daily food allowances.

Pay Rates for ball kids at Grand Slams

Australian Open - Voluntary

French Open - Voluntary

Wimbledon Championships - $351 per week

US Open - $15 per hour

*All the above figures may vary.

There was also some criticism at the organizers of the Australian Open 2023 as the ball kids were made to work tirelessly for long hours without any compensation. Andy Murray after his marathon five-hour match against Thanasi Kokkinakis came out hard against the organizers and said, “If my child was a ball kid for a tournament and if they are coming home at 5 AM in the morning then as a parent, I’m snapping at that. It’s not beneficial for them.”

The second round match between Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis started at 11:00 PM and finished the next day at 04:00 AM with the ball kids having to stay till the end. Generally, the ball kids are rotated after every set and are given rest at regular intervals.