Meet the 11-year-old tennis champion who’s on track to become the first wheelchair ballkid at the Australian Open

Junior wheelchair tennis champion Sonny Rennison wants to become Australia’s first wheelchair ball kid at the Australian Open.

The tennis-mad 11-year-old, who is ranked 21st in the world for junior wheelchair tennis singles, will appear at the Australian Open All Abilities Day and hopes to be chosen as a ball kid for a Grand Slam match in the future. at.

Sonny has trained for the role using a specially designed ball collecting device and is said to be as fast as the other ball kids on the field.

“I’ve always seen ball kids at tennis tournaments and always thought of it as something that looked fun, and something that I would like to do, but never as something that I could do,” Sonny told the BBC. Brisbane times.

‘It’s obviously about running around, and all the kids at the tournaments stand up, and I’ve never seen one in a wheelchair, (but) my main focus if I want to be a ball kid is to inspire other kids who that might be the case too in the wheelchair and might have the same feeling as I do.’

The 11-year-old is a junior wheelchair tennis champion and is ranked 21st in the world

Sonny was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition at the age of four, which causes the heads of his femurs to grow improperly.

Australian tennis great Alicia Molik has been impressed by the youngster during a match simulation she conducted with him and is backing him to feature at the Grand Slam.

‘Sonny radiates energy. He is part of the National High Performance at Tennis Australia in Melbourne, so he has huge ambitions, just like every other kid on the high-performance team, and a lot of kids around the world,” Molik said.

‘He wants to be a ball kid as much as anyone else. In fact, his passion might even surpass it.”

Aussie wheelchair doubles champion Heath Davidson is someone else who wants to see Sonny and other wheelchair ball kids at the Australian Open.

“I will do my utmost to get Sonny on the court at the Australian Open (2024),” he said.

‘Yes, this is a pilot program that is still in its infancy, but in the future this (wheelchair ball child) could become normal.

‘I’ve always wondered if we couldn’t have wheelchair children, or someone with a disability. It’s something that needs to be done.’

Sonny was diagnosed with a genetic condition at the age of four that causes the heads of his femurs to grow improperly

The youngster (pictured center with seven-time Australian Open champion Dylan Alcott, right) loves tennis and wants to inspire other children in wheelchairs

Sonny’s first test will take place during an exhibition match during All Possibilities Day at the major

Sonny was profiled on 7NEWS and spoke about the importance of representation.

“I’d never seen a wheelchair ball before, so I figured it wouldn’t happen,” he said.

“It made me a little sad when I was younger because I knew I could do it.

“I’m so grateful and grateful to have been given this opportunity, and hopefully it will encourage other children in wheelchairs,” he added.