Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez said it was more important to be a “good human being than a good tennis player” after helping carry a fainting ball girl off court during her Australian Open first-round match.
As Sonmez’s opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova served for the second set, the ball girl – stood beside the umpire’s chair – fell flat on her back before quickly getting back up.
Sonmez sprinted over and helped walk her over to the side of the court, where the youngster received medical attention in the shade.
The ball girl managed to get back to her feet and was helped off court by medical staff, with play resuming after a six-minute delay.
“She was really struggling. She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine,” Sonmez told BBC Sport.
“So I went to grab her and said ‘sit down and drink something, you’re not fine’.
“As we were walking she fainted so luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking.”
Tennis Australia confirmed that the girl had received medical attention on site before going home.
“I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player,” added world number 112 Sonmez.
“It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I’m happy I got to help.”
