French tennis player Nicolas Mahut, ranked 252 in the world, took part in tennis tournament at the 2019 French Open. As a 37-year-old player, he wanted to fulfill his dream of entering the round of 16 at this tournament. It seemed like Mahut was leading as he won the first set against Argentine player Leonardo Mayer in the round of 32. However, he lost three sets in a row and eventually fell out.
Missing the chance that might be his last match, Mahut couldn’t leave the bench. The crowd, too, was sad to see his face grow solemn and tears in his eyes. But then, a kid in the stands ran across the coat and hugged him with small arms. It was his seven-year-old son. Even the crowd and the opponent player wiped their eyes over the boy’s consoling his sad father, and all the crowd did not stop their fervent standing applause until Mahut cleared up and left the court with his son.
People who watched the video on social media also cheered him, commenting, “Although Mahut couldn’t win as a tennis player, he won as a father,” and “It reminds us that everyone deserves to be loved though lacking and not good enough in something.”