As anyone who has ever seriously played tennis knows, it may be commonly played at resorts and country clubs, but going pro is no easy feat. It takes a lot of work to become a tennis professional, but– as intense as these athletes are– we’ve seen time and time again that they still value fun, sportsmanship, and compassion. Remember the time Rafael Nadal and Delpo played a round of doubles with Ben Stiller and an adorable 9-year-old girl? They had us cracking up! How about the time when Nadal stopped a game so a woman in the crowd could find her lost daughter? His compassion touched our hearts.
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Recently, tennis pro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga proved– once again– that even serious athletes value others more than the game. He was playing at the Australian Open when the ball girl was struck in the face. Tennis balls are small but can be struck with speeds up to 155 mph!
In the video below, you can see him approach the stunned girl and ask, “are you okay?” He then takes the girl by the arm, stopping the match to help her off the court.
The audience broke into applause when they saw him come to her aid, but they weren’t the only ones who appreciated the gesture. The ball girl– named Giuliana– recently sent a letter to Tsonga, thanking him for his kindness that day. Tsonga posted an image of the letter, saying “Thank you very much for your letter Giuliana!!!”
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Her sincere words of thanks are below.
Dear Mr. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,
I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for helping me out on court during your round 2 match of the Australian Open 2016.
I’m not sure if you remember me, but I am the ball girl you escorted off the court.
I would also like to take the opportunity to apologize for the times when you asked for the ball but I didn’t service it to you or acknowledge you. I had picked up a virus which I was unaware of and it caused me to become dizzy and lightheaded. This also affected my vision and hearing…
Thank you so much for the kindness you showed me. I really appreciate that you were able to see that I needed some help and were kind enough to escort me off the court.
Congratulations on making it to the next round. I wish you all the best for your upcoming games and I hope you are able to make it to the very end of the Australian Open!
Thank you again.
From,
Giuliana
AO Ball kid no. 180
Clearly, Tsonga’s actions meant the world to that girl!
Check out the video below to see the moment Tsonga came to Giuliana’s aid.
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