Ons Jabeur's final against Belinda Bencic at the 2022 Berlin Open ended bittersweetly for the players and fans, but that did not stop the Tunisian from showing outstanding sportsmanship after the match.
Jabeur enjoyed a great run to make the final in the German capital. After straight-set victories against Karolina Muchova and Alycia Parks, the 27-year-old recovered from a set down against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the quarterfinal.
That set up a match against the recent French Open runner-up Coco Gauff. However, Jabeur was not intimidated by that challenge. She performed excellently to overcome the 18-year-old 7-6, 6-2.
Jabeur's final obstacle to the title was Bencic. Defeating the No. 1 seed in Berlin would always be challenging for the Swiss after playing four three-set matches in a row to make the final.
With the score at 5-3 in Jabeur's favour, Bencic slipped and hurt her ankle. She attempted to fight on for a few games in the second set, but with the score at 6-3, 2-1 to the Tunisian, Bencic had to retire from the match.
Although it was a sad moment for Bencic, some players may have been too focused on the euphoria of winning a title to fully consider what she was going through. But at the end of the match, Jabeur proved she is one of the classiest people in tennis.
As can be seen in the video below, Jabeur did not celebrate with her team after securing the Berlin Open title. Instead, she prepared a cooler with ice to soothe Bencic's painful ankle.
It was a genuinely heartwarming moment to watch. Players competing hard against each other to try and be the best is a good thing. However, it is also possible to show respect and be a good person at the same time. Jabeur demonstrated those qualities in abundance in Berlin.