British Tennis Star Jodie Burrage Praised For Assisting Unwell Ball Boy

British tennis star Jodie Burrage has been praised for assisting a ball boy who became unwell during a match on the opening day of Wimbledon 2022.

The round, between Burrage and Ukrainian tennis player, Lesia Tsurenko was stopped on Monday (27 June) after the ball boy fell ill at the side of the court.

Burrage, 23, quickly rushed over to his aid after noticing he appeared to be rather unsteady on his feet. She gave him a sports drink from the player fridge, an energy gel from her bag and some Percy Pig sweets that were provided by a spectator in the crowd.

Burrage - who waited with the boy for several minutes for medics to arrive - was praised for her quick thinking.

"He just said he was feeling really faint. He couldn't actually really talk. It was quite distressing to see,” Burrage said afterwards.

"I just tried to get him some sugar, gave him a Gatorade and a gel. The gel is not the nicest thing, so they managed to find some Percy Pigs somewhere along the line in the crowd, which he got down and then started to feel better. Yeah, hopefully he's feeling better now.

"To be honest, it didn't affect me too much, I guess. I actually came out, hit a great serve, probably the best serve I hit in that match after that. If anything, it did help me. But I just hope he's ok.

"I just reacted how I think anyone would. He was not in a good spot. I just tried to help him out as much as possible. I've fainted a few times. I actually had a panic attack once in juniors here, so I've been where he is. I kind of know a little bit how he was feeling. So, yeah, I just tried to help as much as I could. Hopefully I did."

And viewers at home were quick to praise Burrage, with one writing on Twitter: "Important lesson about kindness and care from Jodie Burrage today."

While another said: "A little human compassion goes a long way. Huge well done to Jodie Burrage."

And a third added: "Good on jodie Burrage @Wimbledon for helping the ball boy."

A fourth tweeted: "#jodieburrage you are a star."

"Poor kid. Jodie Burrage is SO lovely," said another.

Although Burrage lost to Tsurenko and was eliminated, her kindness will certainly be remembered on the court.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: News

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine