The US Open ball crew is one of the most overlooked and most competitive roles in professional tennis, with 1,600 people applying in 2025 for a programme that brought in just 100 new members alongside 200 returners from the previous year, according to First Serve Tennis. For Jaime Rivera, now heading into his eleventh year on the crew, those numbers feel personal: he got his start after a tennis coach at an after-school programme recommended him for the role.
‘I was just a little scrawny kid from high school and just trying to throw the ball all the way down the court,’ Rivera told Popsugar. More than a decade on, he is leading his sister Amanda Rivera down the same path.
Getting In: A Selection Process Tougher Than It Looks
The route onto the US Open ball crew is more structured than most people realise. According to People, just under 1,500 people applied online to be considered for the 2024 edition, with 400 selected for tryouts held in June. The minimum age to apply is 14, meaning the crew spans high-schoolers and working adults in equal measure.
Once accepted, crew members must wear the official uniform, custom designed by Polo specifically for the tournament. It is a detail that speaks to the level of presentation the USTA expects from everyone on court, regardless of the role they are filling.
The Riveras are clear about what the selectors are looking for. ‘Anyone with a team mentality, I think they should go for it,’ Jaime said. Amanda added that raw speed is not the deciding factor: ‘Whoever shows hustle too, shows heart. It’s not even about being the fastest and most agile.’ Jaime’s summary was blunt: ‘It’s about the intent, the effort, and the desire to be there.’
Three Weeks in the Heat: The Reality of the US Open Ball Crew Role
Shift structure gives the role a rhythm that sounds manageable until the tournament grinds into its second and third weeks. Ball crew members receive an email the night before detailing their start time, arrive with roughly 30 minutes to change and clock in, then work an hour and a half on court followed by an hour and a half off. Court assignments arrive just five minutes before each stint. ‘There’s a bit of surprise to it as well,’ Jaime said.
The hardest part, both siblings agreed, is not the movement itself but sustaining the intensity. ‘Keeping up the intensity for almost three weeks in the blistering heat,’ Jaime said. Amanda elaborated: ‘It’s easy for the first few days where you really go all out and everything, but to continue going all out every single day and at least showing up as best as you can, that gets a little tricky.’
Their solution is endurance training year-round. Jaime ran a marathon last year; both complete half-marathons regularly. Amanda’s emphasis, though, was on hydration. ‘It gets to a point where the sun is really hot and you feel the heat coming from the court. [It’s] not fun when you’re not properly equipped for the heat.’
Compensation sits at around $18 or $19 an hour plus a daily food allowance, Jaime said. Free access to matches, in the upper levels of any stadium with available seating, is the perk both cite first. Amanda was direct about the trade-off: ‘It’s not really about the pay. It’s all about the experience.’
The experiences stack up quickly at that level of the game. Amanda worked several Carlos Alcaraz matches last tournament, which she described simply as watching ‘a great player.’ She also worked a Venus Williams doubles match, something she had not expected. ‘I thought the Williams sisters were done,’ she said. Jaime’s reaction was one word: ‘Absolute cinema.’
Off court, the two hold down separate lives. Jaime works in construction. Amanda has just finished her undergraduate degree and plans to return to school to pursue nursing. Tennis, though, is the conversation starter they are always waiting for. ‘We wait for the moment that somebody brings up tennis just so we can tell them that we ball crew,’ Amanda said. With Jaime’s decade of experience and the 2025 crew taking shape from that pool of 1,600 applicants, there will be plenty more moments to tell.