Kind gestures by tennis players

Rafael Nadal’s recent act of kindness during a tennis match, has earned him praise and appreciation from fans all around the world.

The tennis star briefly halted a match in which he was playing in order to allow a distressed mother find her lost child in Mallorca, Spain. The Spaniard was playing in a doubles match against American John McEnroe to mark the opening of his tennis academy in Majorca when he heard a mother cry out from the crowd. He was about to serve, but stopped to let the search for the child take place. Cameras were rolling during Nadal’s act of kindness and the crowd warmly applauded when the family was united again.

Such gestures by top players certainly puts tennis in it’s right perspective and reaffirms the fact that sports is not just about winning or losing. Let us now look at some famous gestures of kindness by other tennis stars.

1.Roger Federer

Along with his long list of hardware, many sports analysts consider him the best of all time. Federer is also known for doing an admirable amount of charity work including putting up his racket for an auction to help the Hurricane Katrina survivors and opening up his own charity fund called the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged people and promote sports. In 2006, he was also appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. He is known for being extremely down to earth and has numerous fan stories of people who have had their lives changed due to his devotion and commitment to show up and do random acts of kindness. Including a very touching story with make a wish foundation .

17-year-old Beatriz Tinoco had battled cancer in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, she got the chance to meet Federer through Make-A-Wish Foundation. Roger flew her entire family to Wimbledon. He gave her a personal tour of the facilities and also played a game of tennis with her.

2. Novak Djokovic

During a rain delay in his first-round match at the 2014 French Open, Novak Djokovic invited his ball boy to sit with him under his umbrella as they waited for the storm to pass. The delay lasted ten minutes, during which Djokovic swapped his racquet for the ball boy’s umbrella and offered him a drink , much to the amusement of the rain-soaked fans, who laughed and cheered throughout.

Djokovic has contributed in many ways to make this world a better place as well. He is a participant in the champions for peace club. This is a club of renowned athletes committed to global peace. Djokovic is also the founder of the Novak Djokovic foundation that helps underprivileged children in his country to get better resources and education for leading healthy and productive lives.

3. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Tsonga caught the attention of cameras  during his round two clash with 18-year-old Australian Omar Jasika during Australian Open 2016, after one of the ball girls at Margaret Court Arena was struck in the face by a rogue tennis ball.

Clearly distressed, the ball girl stood teary-eyed behind Tsonga as he picked up the ball to serve. The Frenchman noticed the girl was hurt, walked over and placed his arm around her before calling out for assistance.

Tsonga then linked arms with the girl and walked her off the court.The gracious act grabbed the attention of fans, who praised the top ten seed for his sportsmanship.

4. Andre Agassi

Everyone who’s anyone in tennis these days — and some who struggle to fit that description — have established a charitable organization. They range from little-known players such as doubles specialist Eric Butorac to household ones such as Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic.

Whether directly or from afar, it’s not a stretch to say most were influenced by Agassi. He’s the pied piper of giving back and a role model for athletes across an array of individual and team sports. Roger Federer, 33, who set up his foundation in 2003, the same year he won the first of his record 17 Grand Slam tournament titles, said Agassi was a model for his Roger Federer Foundation, which is focused on educating youth in his native Switzerland and in South Africa, where his mother was born.

“Athletes have a rare opportunity,” Agassi says. “My advice to any athlete would be: If you’re not an expert, put people around you that are. You have the ability to facilitate and galvanize those people. You have the ability to create that synergy. That’s really what I’ve done.”