A kind gesture by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is once again generating headlines during the Australian Open.
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Last year in Melbourne, Tsonga during his second round match noticed a ball girl crying after being hit by a ball. Tsonga stopped play before checking on the ballgirl and helping her off the court.
Now a full 12 months later, Tsonga revealed that he received a message of thanks from the ballgirl named Guiliana.
"Dear Mr Jo-Wilfried Tsonga," the letter begins. “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 ball girl 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."
The letter ends by wishing Tsonga all the best for this year’s tournament from “Guiliana AO Ballkid no. 180.”
Tsonga will next face 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in this year’s quarterfinals.