Aussie champions staged a roof-top rally of gratitude for Australia's healthcare workers.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty Hall of Famer Patrick Rafter rallied on the roof of the Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland to show their appreciation and support for frontline healthcare workers battling the coronavirus.
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The Roland Garros champion has a personal connection to health care workers.
Barty's sister, Sara, is a midwife and her mother, Josie, also works in the medical field.
In a desire to show her support and respect for dedicated health care staff, Barty came up with the idea of hitting with the two-time US Open champion.
Rafter and Barty took a tour of the hospital and watched frontline health care staff in action in the emergency and infections unit, which treates most of Queensland's COVID-19 cases.
The pair conducted a video conference with other members of the hospital staff to express their thanks and gratitude for the work done on a daily basis.
“It was really incredible to come into one of the COVID wards and just to see how it all works and how it’s sectioned off,” Barty told Tennis Australia's website. “There were a lot of people and a lot of unsung heroes who are going unnoticed at the moment who are doing a lot of work to keep us safe, keep the community safe and to keep us tracking in the right direction.
“So it was really special for us to see that today.”
Rafter said seeing healthcare staff fully engaged in the hospital's fontline battle with coronavirus was an intense experience.
“Being in that environment, it’s pretty tricky,” Rafter said. “You can’t thank these guys enough for what they’re doing.”
Photo credit: Tennis Australia Facebook