Why use ball boys when you can employ the help of your trusted four-legged pals? That’s exactly what happened recently when Venus Williams took to the court with two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova for a friendly match in Auckland, New Zealand at the ASB Classic. Match goers discovered the ball boys were of the canine kind.

Fetching balls were a rescued Bull Mastiff named Oscar, a Border Collie named Ted and a Jack Russell/Norfolk Terrier/Miniature Schnauzer mix named Super Teddy-each looking super cute and sporty with sweat bands on their legs.

On-lookers, plus our tennis stars, looked on in glee as the triumphant ball-catching trio dashed across the tennis court collecting the balls. Of course, they each got a few Scooby snacks along the way for good behaviour. Well deserved, we say!

Let’s hope we’ll be seeing Oscar, Ted and Super Ted at more sporting events!