ball girl

American  

noun

1. Tennis. an attendant, usually a girl or young woman, employed to retrieve balls and supply players with them.

2. Baseball. an attendant, usually a girl or young women, who retrieves foul balls and brings the umpire new balls during the game.

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Etymology

Origin of ball girl

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Firstly, fourth seed Djokovic had a narrow escape when he recklessly cracked a ball close to a ball girl during his third-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Thibault-DuDonis became a ball girl on her dad’s team and became friends with players such as Lindsay Whalen and Brooke Wyckoff, who eventually became coaches themselves, and mentors to Thibault-DuDonis.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2024

On Sunday, Kato, 28, was disqualified from the women's doubles after she hit a ball girl with a ball.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2023

The pair progressed Sunday after their opponents were forced to forfeit a match when Miyu Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck with a ball after a point.

From Washington Times • Jun. 5, 2023

Bouzkova said she did not see the ball hit the ball girl, but “she was crying for like 15 minutes.”

From Washington Times • Jun. 4, 2023