It was a year ago, during an Australian Open match opposing Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Omar Jasika, that one of the ball kids was hit in the face by a tennis ball.
Seeing the young girl was shaken, Tsonga rushed to check on her and escorted her off the court.
You can watch what happened here.
She hasn't forgotten
One year later, the ball girl, Giuliana, sent a thank you card to the player.
This is what she wrote :
“I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for helping me out on court during your round 2 match. I’m not sure if you remember me but I was the ballgirl you escorted off court.
I would also like to take the opportunity to apologise for the times when you asked for the ball but I did not 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. I apologise for not being able to perform my duties as a ball kid to the high standards that are expected.
Thank-you so much for the kindness that 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 court.
Thank-you again, Giuliana – AO ball kid no. 180.”
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga published her message on Twitter :
