In the midst of one of the most celebrated tennis tournaments in the world, British player Jodie Burrage demonstrated that she is more than just a profound athlete: she is also a kind soul.
During her match last Monday, the 23-year-old noticed that on the sidelines, a ball boy fell unconscious on the sidelines. Without hesitation, she halted the match and rushed over to him to ensure he was well. In order to improve his state, she offered him a sports drink and nutritional gel before a spectator in the crowd gave him an entire bag of candy for his hardships.
“I just reacted how I think anyone would. He was not in a good spot,” the tennis player recollected in a post-match interview, according to ESPN. “I just tried to help him out as much as possible.”
“Just tried to get him some sugar, gave him a Gatorade and a gel,” Burrage continued, reflecting on the story. before explaining, “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.”
Jodie Burrage says that the popular candy ‘Percy Pigs’ were helpful in aiding the ball boy back to health
As Burrage noted, the most helpful attribute was a crowd member who had access to candy. She relayed that the gel isn’t particularly easy to stomach and a less atypical candy was needed to help him. Looking back on the memory, she explained, “I was just like, ‘This kid needs sugar.’ He wasn’t liking the gel. I was like, ‘Yeah, definitely need something else.’ Someone just shouted on the side, ‘Got some sweets here if you want.’ They were Percy Pigs.”
Percy Pigs are a gummy candy popular in the United Kingdom with a familiar pig character as a mascot. Easier to eat than gel, the Percy Pigs helped elevate the boy’s blood sugar and he was able to successful recovery.
“Hopefully he’s feeling better now,” the tennis player concluded, speaking in regards to the incident.
All in all, the match was halted for approximately 10 minutes while spectators and players alike helped nurse the boy back to help. After that, he was helped off the court.
Despite her selfless act, good karma did not help Burrage in her match against Lesia Tsurenko. After the game resumed, the British tennis player would go on to lose 6-2, 6-3 on opening day.
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