Wawrinka Hits With Ball Kid, 'It Was Nice'

Stan Wawrinka reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the third time on Sunday. But the World No. 4 did achieve a first in Paris: Playing with a ball kid during the middle of the match.

Wawrinka was looking to stay warm while waiting for Serbian Viktor Troicki to finish receiving treatment from a trainer. His legs were bouncing as he sat impatiently. So he looked behind him to the ball boy.

“I asked him if he was playing tennis. I said, ‘Okay, let’s play’,” Wawrinka said.

The smiling Swiss grabbed a racquet for himself and one for his new hitting partner. To roars from the fans at Philippe Chatrier Court, Wawrinka hit with the left-hander for about a minute.

“He wasn’t afraid to be on the central court. He was a nice kid,” Wawrinka said.

The defending Roland Garros champion and ball boy then shook hands at the net, and Wawrinka got his racquet back. By then, Troicki was ready to play. “I thought it was nice. It was nice for him. It was fun for the audience, and it kept me busy,” Wawrinka said.

Maybe it helped the third seed, too. He went on to defeat Troicki 7-6(5), 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-2 and move into the quarter-finals.

“I was a little bit bored, I was talking to the ball kid. I asked him if he played tennis. I said, ok, let’s play.” pic.twitter.com/oT7ZqsW8ut

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 29, 2016