Wimbledon hit by medical emergency as Ons Jabeur throws water bottle into crowd to help ill fan
ONS JABEUR showed her kind heart by helping out a fan who fell ill at Wimbledon.
The two-time runner-up took on qualifier Robin Montgomery on No2 Court in their second-round clash.
Temperatures were in the low 20s on Thursday, the sunniest and hottest day of the Championships so far.
And early in the first set, play was halted when a supporter needed attention.
Jabeur had just worked up a break point on the Montgomery serve at 2-1 when the incident happened.
The TV cameras did not show the spectator, who was seated behind the baseline on the third show court at the All England Club.
But the umpire immediately used the phone on her chair to call for help.
And with the players waiting before carrying on, Jabeur sprung into action to offer assistance.
The Tunisian, seeded tenth at Wimbledon 2024, grabbed a pair of water bottles from her bag and handed them to a pair of fans leaning over the barrier to take to the stricken supporter – one with water in and another with an electrolyte drink.
The crowd applauded the classy gesture as Jabeur watched on from the back of the court, doing her best to check that the unwell fan was okay.
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And once the players got confirmation they were stable, the match continued – with Jabeur unable to convert the break point as she sent a forehand wide.
But eventually after a lengthy game with five deuces lasting 12 minutes, Jabeur did get the break when Montgomery double faulted.
Wimbledon 2024 prize money
PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.
The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.
However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.
Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money:
- Winner: £2.7m
- Runner-up: £1.4m
- Semi-finalists: £715,000
- Quarter-finalists: £375,000
- Fourth round: £226,000
- Third round: £143,000
- Second round: £93,000
- First round: £60,000
- Overall total: £50m
Jabeur did not drop another game in the first set, rattling through it 6-1 in 29 minutes.
She was challenged further in the second set, though, and took it 7-5 to book her spot in round three.
Elsewhere on Day Four, Hubert Hurkacz was forced to retire after suffering a nasty knee injury – but not before attempting another diving volley.
Harriet Dart burst into tears twice during her third set against Katie Boulter – but came back to win their grudge match 10-8 in the tie-break.
Incredibly, that Battle of Britain was being shown live on both BBC One and BBC Two at the same time – with Novak Djokovic vs Jacob Fearnley not on terrestrial TV, much to fans’ shock.
What it's like to be a Wimbledon ball kid
By Alison Maloney
WHILE the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Andy Murray keep us entertained during this summer’s Championships, spare a thought for those unsung heroes that keep the tournament going.
Personal trainer Alex Crockford, now 33, served as a ball boy at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2006, and has lifted the lid to SunSport on what it’s really like.
“Standing still for hours is one of the toughest parts of being a ball boy,” he says.
“It’s quite strict and you don’t want to let your team down or feel like you’re doing a bad job.
“I remember one really hot day, I clearly hadn’t fuelled or hydrated myself appropriately.
“I did have a very faint moment, and started seeing blurry stars.
“There are six BBGs on the court and a captain, which was me, so I was standing to the left of the umpire chair and I was away from my water.
“I had to go outside of my position, get some water and re-balance myself before I could continue.”
Click here to read Alex’s ball boy story in full.