By Belinda Nolan
YOULIANA Morcos will have stars in her eyes when she takes net position at next month’s Australian Open.
The 14-year-old Taylors Lakes resident has been chosen from thousands of applicants to display her skills as a ballkid during the Grand Slam event.
A tennis player herself, the teenager has dreamed of taking centre court since she started the sport seven years ago.
Having been snubbed for selection as a ballkid last year, Youliana was determined to get in this time.
Needless to say, she took the selection process very seriously.
“I practised every day for three hours,” Youliana said.
“I drove my parents crazy because I kept getting in their way and distracting them while they were watching TV.
“I was bouncing balls down the hallway and the lounge room for days,” she said.
A member of the Taylors Lakes Tennis Club, Youliana said she was thrilled to be given the chance to rub shoulders with her favourite players.
“It’s definitely nerve-wracking because who knows if you’re going to drop the ball or fall down in the middle of the game,” Youliana said.
“If I do fall over I’m just going to get back up and pretend that it never happened.
“I just hope I don’t get hit in the face by the ball because it hurts like crazy.”
The teenager will join more than 300 other young people who have won their way into the ballkids final squad.
The group will take the court for more than 400 matches in the competition, which kicks off on 17th January.
