What's the story?Amidst easing into the succeeding round of the Australian Open while making an easy meal of Australian Omar Jasika, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stopped play when he noticed a ballgirl violently trying to control her helpless sobs.
In a match which showed Jasika the exit gates of Australian Open 2016 in straight sets also opened the hearts for the most remarkable sight on a tennis court. Tsonga, noticing the ballkid, went up to her. She had been hit on her face with a ball and visibly shaken, but trying her best to maintain her demeanour.
Assuming the care of the ballkid, the large hearted Frenchman lent a supporting hand to her, putting his arm around the injured ballkid and took her to the side of the court, much to the applause of the crowd.
In case you didn’t know...This incident which took place last year hasn't been forgotten.
On Sunday night, Tsonga tweeted mentioning that he had received a letter from the ball girl, whose name is Giuliana. The youngster did not forget Tsonga's kindness on the court that day.
She wrote to him an apology letter for not having performed to the highest of the expected standards of a ballkid for a Grand Slam event. Tsonga, too hadn't forgotten this incident and was deeply touched by the sweetness of the letter, sharing it with his fans online.
Heart Of The MatterThe letter reads easy and sweet and adds to the beauty of the card.
"Dear Mr Jo-Wilfried Tsonga," the letter reads,
"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 ballkid 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.
"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,
"Giuliana – AO Ballkid no. 180."
What's next?Tsonga has definitely not forgotten ballkid no. 180 and took time out to tweet about his joy on receiving the letter from Giuliana. Having made to the quarters of this year's Australian Open and demolished by former Australian Open Stan Wawrinka, we hope to see some more of the brilliant tennis game from the Swiss in the ensuing year!
Sportskeeda's TakeFrenchmen have always been known for their chivalrous and kind nature and last year's gesture of helping out Giuliana in her moment of distress was an exponential exposure of Tsonga's kind attitude. Choosing to acknowledge the little ballkid by tweeting about her letter is commendable too and sure endears the Big Frenchman to our hearts a little more!
