Inside the intense training to be Wimbledon's ball girls and boys

Plus: Where to pick up The Wimble in print

Jun 26, 2025

Good morning Wimblers — how is everyone doing? I hope that we’re all enjoying our week.

We’ve got a chunky new edition for you this week. Scroll down to read about Andy Murray and his proposed new statue, plans to extend the Wimbledon McDonald’s license to 24/7 and why Merton is the third in the country for climate action among councils.

We’ve also got a lovely feature this week about the ball boys and girls of Wimbledon (BBGs). Having spoken to Sarah Goldson, BBG Manager, I can tell you that being a ball boy or girl is no walk in the park. Read on to find out why.

Our print edition is being delivered through people’s inboxes as we speak. But seeing as we only have a limited area that we can dispatch to, we’ve also got another 8,000 copies being handed out next week in Wimbledon. If you can’t wait until next Tuesday, then you can always pop along to Wimbledon Quarter and The Fire Station Café to grab your free copy there. Hurry because they won’t last long.

I think that’s everything for now. Happy reading!

News snippets 🗞

🎾 Andy Murray is set to be honoured with a statue at Wimbledon. According to AELTC chair Debbie Jevans, Murray will be involved in the design, with the final result due to be unveiled in 2027. Jevans has also stated that the All England Club has taken inspiration from the French Open’s recognition of Rafael Nadal in Paris. Read more about the plans here.

♻️ Climate Emergency UK has placed Merton joint-third in the country for climate action among councils. Merton has improved 7% from their 2023 Council Climate Action Scorecard, taking their overall score to 67%, while the rest of the UK has an average of 38%. The news comes during London’s Climate Action Week, which means it’s the perfect time to read this summary report for the area to see why Merton achieved its ranking.

🍔 Plans to extend the opening hours of Wimbledon’s McDonald’s to a 24/7 operation have met further backlash in recent weeks. One local campaigner, Dick Bower, has warned that “this McDonald’s, right in the heart of the area, would be perfectly placed to serve heavy drinkers experiencing ‘the munchies’”. The public consultation has closed, and Merton council will be considering all representations today before reaching a final decision. Read more about the community’s response to the proposal here.

⚖️ Merton Youth Justice Service has been rated as “Requires Improvement” but is “committed to achieving success”, following an inspection of youth justice work with children and victims in the borough by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. Whilst inspectors found the quality of work undertaken with victims to be a strength, they also found the arrangements in place to keep children safe were “inconsistent”. Read a summary of the report here.

Property of the week 🏡

This Victorian semi-detached home has bucketloads of style. I love the fireplace area, with those bookshelves hugging the mantlepiece and the enormous mirror above it. With five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a pretty decent rear garden, this house is a catch. Though, for £2.3 million, you’d hope it would be. Check out more pictures here.

The Wimble’s to-do list

🍷 Prams and Pinot: Enjoy four wines alongside some light nibbles at this Monday lunchtime get-together. Spittoons are provided, and there’s plenty of pram space for you and your little ones. The event is £25 per person, and tickets can be bought here. There will also be a 10% discount on any wines tasted when purchased retail on the day.

Where: Friarwood Wines, Wimbledon Village

When: Monday 30 June, 1.30 — 3pm

🎸 Experience Glastonbury on the big screen: We plugged this last week, but we’re plugging it again! Thank you to Love Wimbledon for bringing Glastonbury to SW19 for the first time ever. Experience the UK’s biggest music festival for free right in the heart of Wimbledon on the Piazza, alongside a pop-up market with food, drinks and festival treats. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the Glasto or you just fancy a bit of music in the sunshine, this is not one to miss.

Where: The Piazza, Wimbledon town centre

When: Friday 27 June — Sunday 29 June

☕️ Ladies Before Lunch: The monthly get together is back. Head down to the Guild Lounge next Tuesday to meet both new and familiar friends. The activity is free and refreshments are available for a small charge. To book your spot, go to the website and follow the instructions.

Where: Guild Lounge, Wimbledon Guild, Worple Road

When: Tuesday 1 July, 10am — 12pm

🤝 Webinar: How to support young people with their emotions: This free webinar, hosted by specialist family therapist Dr Jemma Meeson, will uncover how to understand and support children when they experience emotional difficulties. The webinar is part of a series of free monthly events brought to you by the Family Treatment Service.

Where: Online

When: Wednesday 2 July, 11am — 12pm

🍻 Pub quiz at the Dog & Fox: This needs no introduction. As always, grab your smartest friends — or just your friends who are best at guessing — and head up to the pub for SW19’s finest trivia competition. Just be sure to bring your A game.

Where: The Dog & Fox, Wimbledon Village

When: Wednesday 2 July, 6 — 8pm

🔪 Wimbledon pop-up at Life Kitchens: Head to this pop-up to browse a lovely range of handmade products from local businesses. There will be everything from jewellery and gifts to homeware and, of course, kitchen appliances. I’m currently in desperate need of a blender, so I might see you there.

Where: Life Kitchens, Wimbledon Village

When: Tuesday 25 June — Tuesday 8 July

BBGs: Why Wimbledon has the world's best ball boys and girls

Do you have what it takes to make the cut? Let’s find out.

Discipline and professionalism don't always spring to mind when you think about teenagers. But ball boys and girls aren't your average adolescents. Symbols of tennis' most famous tournament, the training these young people undertake reflects the prestige of an iconic sporting institution.

Known to the inner circle simply as BBGs, Wimbledon's ball boys and girls originated in the 1920s when young lads were recruited from Shaftesbury Homes, a charity providing children from impoverished backgrounds with a night refuge and preparing them for a career in the Royal Navy. It wasn’t until 1977 that ball girls were introduced, and it would be another nine years before they were first seen on Centre Court. Skip to 2025, though, and both are considered pillars of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club's landmark competition.

No walk in the park, the path to becoming a BBG is incredibly competitive. From trial and training, to acceptance and your first day on court, it's an assiduous and uncompromising process. Only 31 schools can put pupils forward for trials, each with a quota based on their numbers from previous years. And the margin between yes and no is tighter than match point.

Candidates are assessed on four key areas: fitness, knowledge, court work, and skills. So that signed photo of Andy Murray in your wallet won't be enough to secure a spot. From 1500 applicants, just 280 are accepted for training. And if that number seems small consider the fact 110 hopefuls have been recalled from the previous two Wimbledon tournaments.

So let’s say, for argument's sake, you’ve passed the trials. It's an incredible achievement and you should be proud. But now the hard work really begins. Having attended the trial, Sarah Goldson will already be familiar. BBG Manager since 2012, it’s her job to make sure every BBG is ready for the world’s oldest tennis tournament. Which is no mean feat.

Practice usually starts in February, around five months before the first matches kick off. From this point, candidates participate in a two-and-a half-hour session each week. This training is the bread and butter of the programme, and gives the 14-year-old BBGs enough confidence to stand on Centre Court with a full house and millions of TV viewers watching as they feed tennis balls to greats like Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. Candidates must not speak to one another, have to walk single file, and are numbered, not named.

“We still give the prospective BBGs a score during the training, but we’re expecting them to move on each week. They have to learn some authority on the court, to command their position. They need to exude a sense of confidence,” Goldson explains.

Even with constant assessment and improvement, there’s no guarantee anyone will make it to The Championships. Adding to the pressure, a BBG won't know they’ve been selected until the Friday before Wimbledon opens.

This may sound intense, but it’s worth it in the end. Participating in The Championships is an inimitable experience for those who make the cut. And although phones are not allowed at any time during the tournament, and it's always silent on court, talking is allowed at other times. And it's this old-fashioned chatter, free from emojis and Instagram brainrot, that forges strong friendships which often last years or even decades. Bonds rooted in a mutual understanding of how much hard-work, professionalism and, ultimately, fun, is involved.

"There were almost two sides to it. There’s a part of you that looks back on the excitement and the pride you had in yourself. I look back at being on the court and being surrounded by members of the public who saw you as an institution. I think that’s a really cool experience," says Millie Stokes, a ball girl from 2015-18. “I also look back on those times where we BBGs were all hanging out, becoming close friends, playing cards, heading to Wimbledon Common on the final Sunday and spending all that time together.”

During her second year, Stokes was fortunate enough to be called up to Centre Court for the Women’s Doubles Final. And like all BBGs, she was prepared for the occasion. Although her training might seem like overkill to many, it stopped this young and incredibly dedicated teenager from buckling under pressure. Emphasising how important mentorship is, it speaks volumes that Stokes has since gone on to work for Price Education, a specialist in mentoring young people inside and outside of school.

“I look back on being a ball girl at Wimbledon and realise that it’s increasingly important to the new generation of kids that they too have mentorship like that," she says. “It gave me a lot of discipline and pride in myself and my actions, and I can only hope there are more and more experiences like that for kids to be encouraged rather than to spend their free time doom-scrolling social media.”

Perhaps ironically, then, being a ball boy or girl isn't really about tennis. To the untrained eye, it's a bunch of kids rolling tennis balls back and forth and standing really still. But it's actually about everything else that comes with that. Teamwork, organisation, the ability to commit, respond to feedback and do your very best at all times. And, above all, it’s about enjoying the moment, because it's not every day you get to be part of the most prestigious tennis tournament on the planet.

This article also appears in The Wimble’s summer print edition.

Question of the week 🔍

Last week, I gave you a list and asked you which actor attended King’s College School, Wimbledon. The answer: Nigel Green (most of you will probably know him as Major Dalby in The Ipcress File).

Q: In keeping with the theme of actors, which of these actors is originally from Wimbledon?

You’re up to date 👋

Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope you enjoyed our feature on the BBGs of Wimbledon (perhaps one of the hardest jobs that a teenager will ever do). There’s plenty more insider knowledge like that in the print edition! Do get in touch with other ideas: zak@thewimble.com. And don’t forget to grab your copy of our print edition from Monday at Wimbledon Quarter or The Fire Station Café. Other than that, have a great week and enjoy the sun whilst it lasts.