
Joseph “Joe” Vessecchia is a former account executive at Quick Base and has also worked in sales positions at Fullfunnel and Oracle. He is attending the University of Rochester in pursuit of an MBA with an expected graduation date of May 2021. Joseph Vessecchia enjoys playing tennis in his free time and is a former US Open ball person.
In order to be a ball person at the US Open, applicants have to pass three rounds of tryouts, the first of which is an open call that is generally attended by hundreds of individuals. Because the job requires retrieving balls and supplying new ones at high speed while remaining relatively unnoticed, prospective ball people are required to showcase their sprinting and throwing abilities for 10 consecutive minutes. They are also judged on their ability to take instruction.
In the second round of testing, applicants are judged by United States Tennis Association members, many of whom have attended tryouts for more than a decade and know exactly what they’re looking for in a ball person. Between 60 and 70 people are brought back for the third round of testing, where they work as ball people during US Open qualification matches.
During the tournament, ball people can work as late as 12:45 a.m. after starting a shift at noon. Morning shifts generally run from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. In addition to retrieving balls, they must also deal with requests from players, such as delivering specific Powerade flavors and passing them the ball in the way that they prefer.





