Towel racks to be introduced at Next Gen ATP Finals

Spectators at professional tennis matches know this to be true: Ball kids have it rather tough, at majors such as Roland Garros and all other tournaments. All that scampering for tennis balls, the constant exchanges of fuzzy yellow spheres among their peers ... and the back-and-forth action with sweaty towels, delivered to and then returned by similarly sweaty players.

The towel exchanges in particular are unsanitary, and for those close to the court, sometimes borderline unsightly. In light of this, and in the general interest of adjusting formats, the Next Gen ATP Finals has made a series of changes after its 2017 itself involved a number of match innovations.

Along with reduced warm-up time (four minutes, down from five), in-match coaching via headsets and free reign for crowds to go in and out mid-match, the "'players will be instructed to use a towel rack at the back of the court to remove the onus on ball kids to handle towels."

And with that, the local ball kids sigh with relief – and, it's worth noting, remain in optimal health.

It's a great idea, and one worth implementing at all Grand Slam and ATP and WTA tour-level events. In the meantime, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if there were a mini-revolt among the tours' ball kids. You know, something akin to this:

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.

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