Ball kids crew at BNP Paribas Open say on-court job ‘inspires me to play more’

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (KESQ) – This year, 336 kids joined the ball kids crew for the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, and organizers said over half of them were new.

One of those new crew members is Kaiden Richter, a Coachella Valley local, who has been waiting for her chance to become a ball kid. Richter said she went to the BNP for the first time in first grade, but was not interested in the tennis action.

As she got older and attended with her family in fifth grade, she realized how intriguing it was.

"I was like, 'This is so cool,'" she said. "I want to be one of the ball kids, and then I've been wanting to do it ever since."

Richter has been playing tennis for nearly seven years, and even plays at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden during the off season. She says it's just something "that I love to do."

"Being so close to matches inspires me to play more and hopefully get to that level someday," she said.

Richter isn't the only ball kid who feels inspired by the professional athletes. Julian Castro is another Valley resident who is returning to the court for his third year as a ball kid, something he can't get enough of.

"Just the atmosphere of this tournament. It's incredible," Castro said. "And the crowds here are just amazing."

He said being on the court with top players is a special experience.

"You watch your players win an epic point, and you're just in that moment kind of with them. So, it's just amazing to be around," he said.

Castro, along with Richter, is taking notes from the professionals on how he can improve his tennis skills.

"I like to learn from them, and take their skills and just be able to use them," he said. "I'll watch them do stuff that I'm like, 'I would have never thought of that.'"

Stay with News Channel 3 tonight at 5 p.m. to hear more from Richter and Castro on what inspired them to be a ball kid, and what keeps them coming back to the court.