Get to Know Ons Jabeur
By Jake Scudder
You don’t often associate the country of Tunisia with professional tennis players. If I were to ask you to find me a Tunisian player currently ranked in the top 100, from either the ATP or WTA tour, you would find just the one name, Ons Jabeur. She carries her country on her back and has obliterated her opponents this fortnight in New York, only dropping the one set on her way to the final.
Jabeur, a highly respected player on the WTA tour, has not only become popular amongst her peers, but amongst tennis fans globally. She got to meet one special fan this week, Tennis legend Andy Roddick, Jabeur’s idol growing up for his big serve and humour. The pair could be seen having a laugh and talking, with Roddick giving her his vote in confidence to go all the way this year and win the title.
How did Jabeur get here? In 2011, she made a statement in tennis circles winning the Roland Garros juniors title. A year later in 2012, she debuted on the WTA tour with her first event in Doha. Following that, was representing her county Tunisia at the London Olympic Games. Fast forward to 2021, and Jabeur claimed her first WTA career title, winning the Nottingham grass tournament. Maybe, even more special that year, was her rise into the women’s top ten rankings. Jabeur, a proud Arab, became the first Arab tennis player to reach the top ten in women’s and men’s history.
2022 has been a career best year for the Tunisian star, having claimed titles in Madrid and Berlin. Approaching tomorrow’s US Open final, she can be confident in handling the big moment. Jabeur also featured in this year’s Wimbledon final against Elena Rybakina, losing in three sets – an experience that can teach a valuable lesson heading into tomorrow’s final with world number one, Iga Swiatek.
The pair have played each other four times in their career. The series is tied 2-2, with the last meeting taking place in Rome earlier this year with Swiatek winning 6-2 6-2. It should be noted that match was played on clay, and Jabeur’s recent hard court form puts her in a stronger position for the match up this time around.
There is a famous saying in sports that ‘you need to learn to lose before you can win’. It is Jabeur’s time to win. Her game is oozing confidence and don’t be surprised if we see a new grand slam champion hoisting the trophy this year.