Tsonga receives a wonderful card from ballgirl he helped last year

By
Mark Hall
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Last year, when playing the second round of the Australian Open against Omar Jasika, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga noticed that a ballgirl was struggling as she was holding back tears after she was hit by a ball in the face. The Frenchman stopped the match to escort the girl off the court with the blessing of the crowd.

On Sunday night, after one year, Jo-Wilfried  received a heartfelt card from the same girl with the following words

“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.

“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.”

The card didn’t go unattended, and Tsonga posted a very nice message on Twitter. Heart of a champion!