A tennis star was left a little shaken this week when a ballgirl made a surprising move while on court in Asia.
Sabine Lisicki of Germany was battling it out in the Thailand Open on Wednesday when a bug decided to make its way onto the court. Ensuring the creature didn’t disrupt her game the 29-year-old stopped play to coax the insect out of her way ever so gently with her racquet.
Seeing her struggling to remove the bug, a nearby ballgirl launched into action, making sure to fulfil her job.
While its not uncommon for ballkids to assist in these situations, her actions were a bit surprising for Lisicki who obviously didn’t want to harm the bug.
In what was a quick move, the ballgirl ran up to the player and without any hesitation at all jumped right on the insect, killing it instantly.
https://twitter.com/RavBhagdev/status/1090586288498098176
This was clearly not what Lisicki was expecting as she winced in shock and turned around quickly as to not see the remains of the poor creature smeared on the court.
Her reaction has reached headlines across the world with many joking about the tennis star’s kind nature and utter horror when she was confronted with the bug’s death.
“A moment of silence for @SabineLisicki and this brave insect,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“I knew Sabine is a lovely person – this proves it!” another added.
Unfortunately for Lisicki, she didn’t receive the result she had hoped for in the match, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Taking to Twitter the German was gracious in her defeat, admitting she was disappointed with the loss but will continue to work towards her goals.
“Tough match tonight! I’m disappointed in the outcome but it was a good match,” she wrote.
“Made a few bad choices on important points that make a difference in such a match. Working on that! One of the best matches since my comeback. Onwards and upwards we go!”
She received a lot of support from her fans who commended her for her performance and encouraged her to keep reaching for her goals.
“You finished 2018 so strongly. Stay fit, stay positive, your WTA ranking will get back to double figures and then no seeded player will want you in their side of the draw,” one person wrote on Twitter.
A second added: “Always one of my favourite players! Looking good out there. You are playing some great tennis, I think you are going to have a great season!”