Tennis fan Robert is so on the ball!

Robert Lowe, 13, of Roxton, will get the chance to chat to the tennis legend at the finals of the selection process for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 in November.

He will travel to London as one of 100 youngsters selected from the thousands who took part in the Barclays Ball Kids regional selection trials that took place across the country earlier this month.

The Eastern region trials took place at Linton Community Sports Centre in Cambridge.

Robert, who attends Alban Academy in Great Barford, could now be a ball kid at the ATP World Tour Finals after impressing judges with his athleticism, agility, endurance, co-ordination, balls skills, balance and speed.

He said: “I would like to be a ball kid because I think it would just be amazing to be courtside beside some of the top eight players in the world – I’m a huge tennis fan.

“I think the coaches are looking for someone who can keep their concentration quite a lot, show good ball skills like catching, rolling, throwing and stamina.

“If I was chosen to be a ball kid I think I’d be really nervous but at the same time ecstatic to be chosen. It would just be brilliant.”

Now in its second year, the national search is part of Barclays’ ongoing sponsorship of the event and aims to find 30 children aged between 12 and 16 to join the world’s top eight tennis players and star as Barclays Ball Kids at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

For the full story see the Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday, May 20.