tennis
Jabeur wants to “write history for Africa”
Wants to make history at Wimbledon: Ons Jabeur. photo
© Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/dpa
The past year seems far away. Ons Jabeur lost the Wimbledon final in 2022. Now she’s reaching for the title again – with a new mindset.
It’s the second Wimbledon final in a row for Ons Jabeur, but the 2022 Jabeur has nothing to do with the 2023 Jabeur.
“This is a completely different player,” said the Tunisian about herself, looking ahead to the final against Czech Marketa Vondrousova this Saturday.
In addition to the experiences from two Grand Slam finals, it is above all her two injury breaks in the past few months that would make her go into the renewed duel for the Wimbledon title with a completely different feeling, said Jabeur. “I think the injuries brought me down a bit and taught me to be patient and accept things as they are,” said the 28-year-old.
Always emotionally on the pitch
After her two-round loss against Vondrousova at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the Tunisian had to undergo a small operation on her knee and was out for a few weeks. In April, following the WTA tournament in Stuttgart, the next break followed due to a calf strain. “It was out of my control, I couldn’t do anything about it, just be patient,” said Jabeur, who is always highly emotional on the pitch.
The emotions are still there in Wimbledon, but at the same time Jabeur seems a bit calmer and more balanced. With this mixture, she has successively defeated the top players Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova, defending champion Jelena Rybakina and on Thursday in the semi-finals the world number two Aryna Sabalenka.
The way to the final could hardly have been much more difficult. “I think that gives me confidence to be ready for the final,” said Jabeur, who can count on the support at home. As the first player on the African continent, she can win a Grand Slam tournament on Saturday. “I hope I can make history. Not just for Tunisia but for Africa,” said Jabeur.