Wimbledon: And if it was time for Ons Jabeur? “I see myself as on a mission”

Very closely even, since Serena even asked him to play doubles with her the week before the British Major. A random ? Surely not. They were only five to have previously had the honor of playing alongside the American legend: Martina Navratilova, Caroline Wozniacki, Alexandra Stevenson, Alison Riske, and of course her sister Venus. And it is the latter which surely gave the key to this choice just a year ago, still at Wimbledon.

“I would say Ons is one of my favorite people on the tourhad considered the eldest of the Williams. Honestly, she’s breaking down barriers, she’s the first woman in her country to do what she does. You will see that a new generation of women will take up tennis in the Maghreb. And it will be thanks to her. She inspires so many people, myself included. She gives 100% every time on the court, behaves in such a way that people respect her.“

Praise of patience and perseverance

Venus like Serena, who overcame many obstacles because of their skin color in their youth, somehow recognized themselves in Ons Jabeur. Over the past two years, the Tunisian has become a symbol for her country and beyond through her performances. She caused a stir by becoming the first Arab player to reach the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 2020, Wimbledon in 2021, breaking into the Top 10 last October and winning a WTA 1000 in Madrid in May. .

His story is all the more remarkable in that it enshrines the praise of patience and perseverance. Crowned at Roland-Garros as a junior in 2011 at the age of 16, she took five years to cross the Top 100 bar for the first time, then three additional seasons before entering the Top 50 at the start of 2020. not appear almost out of nowhere as a Bianca Andreescu recently did in 2019, an Emma Raducanu at Flushing Meadows last summer, or even an Iga Swiatek during her first Roland title in 2020.

A revenge to take on Roland-Garros

Like Swiatek, Jabeur benefited from the help of a sports psychologist, Mélanie Maillard, to better manage the important moments of a match. This long-term work, associated with that carried out with his coach Issam Jellali and his physical trainer Karim Kammoun, allowed him to progress slowly but surely. Until making her one of the natural contenders for the title at Wimbledon in the wake of her title in Berlin – the third of her career – where she notably dominated the outgoing finalist of Roland-Garros, Cori Gauff. .

But at Roland precisely a month ago, the Tunisian was also one of the names frequently cited for the final victory – she came out of a title in Madrid and a final in Rome -, before being knocked out of the entrance by Polish Magda Linette. Could it be the same at Wimbledon? After all, to shine in Grand Slams is nothing trivial, many titled players on the circuit on many occasions do not succeed – Karolina Pliskova or Aryna Sabalenka for example -, and Jabeur has not yet done better only a quarter-final.

For former champion and consultant for Eurosport Alex Corretja, there is no need to worry. “Ons Jabeur, it looks like magic. She is very fun to watch. It varies perfectly. I think Roland-Garros was part of his apprenticeship. She had played very well during the clay season and she needed faster conditions: I remember her defeat and on this heavy clay it was not easy.” The interested party may even have revenge to take on this failure and on herself.

A perfect game for the turf and the support of an entire country

Especially since technically, she has everything it takes to shine on the lawn of Wimbledon, as she had shown in 2021 in Nottingham where she went for her first title. “She showed that she was ready, she had time to prepare. She won in Berlin and she will be one of the big contenders because she can play tricky shots on grass. She likes to be aggressive with her forehand, she can change pace with her slice, come to the net. She masters the cushioning, has a good serve, a good return. I think Ons will be one to watch because she plays totally different to most of the others who will probably find it difficult to adapt to her style. It will be one of the favorites“, adds the Spaniard.

Moreover, when Jabeur was still a junior, his delicious backhand slice was compared to that of … Roger Federer. Last year after beating a certain Iga Swiatek in the round of 16, she dared not believe it when the Swiss congratulated her. Since then, she has come a long way and she intends to make this 2022 edition her own. If her right knee – which forced her to stop the double with Serena at Eastbourne – leaves her alone, then she has the weapons to achieve it and a whole country behind her.

“I’m happy that I set myself high goals at the start of the seasonshe still told the Guardian. I said to myself that I wanted to win titles, a Grand Slam and be in the Top 5. There is still one to accomplish and I hope that I will succeed. I see myself as if I were on a mission. Let’s say I chose to be an inspiration to people. (…) I don’t see it as a burden but as a great pleasure and a great responsibility. It’s part of the job and part of it explains why I play today. And I believe in sharing: it could help me as a player and help future generations.“