She could even be on the court with her hero, Roger Federer.

And that’s because the Henty youngster, who is mad about her tennis, has been accepted to become one of the Australian Open’s ball kids.

Not only that, but Zali will hold one of the most important positions — at the net.

“I’m very excited but I’m very nervous as well,” she said.

“You have to have urgency and accuracy when you’re on court.

“I’m really excited I might be on court when Federer is playing.”

Only 380 kids were selected for the role from about 4000 applicants, after a rigorous process.

There’s much more to being a ball kid than meets the eye.

“They work on their fitness, how they roll the ball, their communication,” mum Michelle said.

“As a net kid, they’re the ones who control the court.

“Watch them after every point and they’re looking at all the other ball kids, making sure the ball is down the right end.

“And they have to do their research about certain players and what they like.”

Mrs Lieschke said tennis had been a good sport for her children.

“It’s the mental side of the game — it gives them a sense of wanting to achieve something,” she said.

“You’ve got to be mentally prepared before you walk out there and there’s the fitness side — it keeps them active.”

Mrs Lieschke said she wanted to make others aware that the opportunity was there for the Border children.

“I thought there was probably no hope of her being a ball kid because of where we were,” she said.

The Australian Open starts on January 19 and runs to February 1.