If you’ve been watching the 2026 Miami Open, you’ve likely seen stars like Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner dominating the court. But look a little closer, and you’ll notice another group moving just as fast and with quiet precision.
Those orange-clad figures are the ballpersons — the engine behind every match.
“They keep the match flowing,” said 50-year-old Marc Adler, director of ballpersons at the Miami Open. “If we're slow, the match is slow. If we're fast, the match is fast.”
Each court has six ballpersons, two at each baseline and two at the net. Their job is to chase stray balls, swiftly roll them back and hand players balls for serves — all while staying out of the spotlight.
At this year's Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Adler oversees a staff of 425 ballpersons — one of the largest teams in the world. Each year, he whittles that group down from more than 1,000 hopefuls who try out.
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It’s a coveted position, according to Adler.
“It's very competitive,” he said. “We expect them to be athletic and able to follow instructions. We want to see how they roll, how they present, and whether they can handle hours in the sun. It’s a very strenuous, tedious, hot role.”
Adler began his time at the Miami Open 37 years ago, working as a ballperson himself for six years.
“Believe it or not, I'm not a big tennis person,” said Adler. “I tell the ball people, you don't have to play tennis to do this. But when you step onto that court and hear the cheers and applause, the adrenaline builds — and that’s when you realize, ‘Hey, I’m part of this action.’”
For 55-year-old ballperson Kris Baranowski, his second year on the court came with something new. His 12-year-old daughter, Sofia, joined him as a ballperson, giving them the chance to share the experience side by side.
“When you see it on TV, you don’t realize how much work goes into it,” said Kris. “The training is tough, but the reward is getting to be out there with the players.”
A tennis player herself, Sofia says the experience has become a chance to learn — watching players up close and studying their game.
“I tell my coach about the things I see,” she said. “He’s teaching me those techniques that the players have.”
But even for those who don’t play tennis, being on the court is just as special.
“My mom brought it up once, and I thought, ‘What a great idea,’” said 14-year-old Ona Bradley. “I’m not from Miami, so it was a great way to come out and see what tennis was like, because I don’t play.”
Bradley, who lives in Jupiter, makes the two-hour drive down to Miami Gardens with her mother, sometimes staying in hotels when she has back-to-back matches.
For her, it’s all worth it.
“The players walk right by you, or you see them on the practice courts — there’s Venus Williams getting ready to serve, or Coco Gauff returning,” said Bradley. “It’s just spectacular… and you make new friends. You get to walk around with your badge and feel important because you’re part of it.”
'If you can do it, do it'
Guadalupe Merlino, 17, returned this year for her fourth Miami Open as a ballperson — but this time, with a new role: captain.
After each match, captains gather their teams to review performance and talk through what can be improved.
On Monday, Merlino stepped into that role for the first time following a match between Canadian player Victoria Mboko and Russian player Mirra Andreeva, addressing her group of six.
“I think we improved from the last one,” Merlino told her team. “On the backdrops, we need to communicate — there were times when someone sent a ball and the other person wasn’t looking. We need to fix that.”
“Maybe we can equalize a little faster,” she added.
In ballperson terms, “equalizing” means making sure both ballpersons at the end of each court side have the correct number of balls — typically three each — before a player begins their serve.
“They were going really fast so it was a hard match,” Merlino said.
Adler invites anyone curious enough — to step onto the court.
“What I tell people all the time is, ‘If you can do it – do it,’” said Adler. “Because when you can't, it's too late. And it doesn't matter the age. It doesn't even matter if you play tennis, it's just a matter of coming out and having that experience.”
The Miami Open concludes Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, with the men’s singles and women’s doubles finals on the final day. The women’s singles final takes place on March 28.
