At the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne there was a moment of shock during the match between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zeynep Sönmez.
A ball girl standing next to the referee’s chair swayed and suddenly fell over. It got up again immediately, but could barely stand on its feet.
Tennis star immediately helps ball girl
The Turkish Sönmez quickly recognized this and asked for the game to be interrupted. The referee also became aware of the situation.
Sönmez rushed over and didn’t think twice. She supported the girl and led her to a chair in the shade. On the way, the young person’s legs gave out again and Sönmez lifted her onto the chair. Now more helpers rushed over.
“She was really struggling. She said she was fine, but it was very obvious that wasn’t true,” Sonmez told BBC Sport. “So I went up to her, grabbed her arm and said, ‘Sit down and have a drink, you’re not feeling well.’ As we were leaving she fainted but luckily I was able to catch her. She was shaking all over.”
Treatment lasted several minutes
With temperatures around 30 degrees, the ball girl wore a hat with a scarf, but she also stood in the infamous Australian sun, which has caused major problems for many players at the Grand Slam in Melbourne.
The treatment lasted several minutes and the match remained interrupted. Later the ball girl was taken home.
Sönmez’s good deed, for which the tennis player was also celebrated online, was ultimately rewarded. The Turkish woman won the first round match against Alexandrova 7:5, 4:6, 6:4. In the second round, Sönmez will face either Hungarian Anna Bondár or Elizabeth Mandlik from the USA.
