Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina, the grass age – Liberation

In the salons of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the tea must be a tad bitter. The West London private club that manages Wimbledon had taken precautions by banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in the tournament this year, due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This Saturday, the Duchess of Cambridge has a one in two chance of presenting the trophy to a Muscovite.

Rybakina, Kazakh tour

Born in Russia, where she grew up and still resides, Elena Rybakina, 23, owes her presence on British lawns only to obtaining Kazakh nationality acquired four years earlier. The first Kazakh in the final of a Major, her presence at this stage is the very advent of a process that began fifteen years earlier, when Bulat Utemuratov took over the reins of the Kazakh tennis federation. This billionaire, ex-ear of the former Kazakh head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev aimed to make Kazakhstan a leading tennis nation, even if it meant attracting Russian hopefuls to come and perform under his flag. In addition to Rybakina, Yulia Putintseva (47th and two quarters in Major) and Alexander Bublik (43rd) are other examples of this Russian-Kazakh generation in search of heights.

“This is a difficult question”breathes Rybakina, when a journalist asks her how she perceives her nationality. “I was born in Russia, but of course I represent Kazakhstan. It’s already a long journey for me. I was playing in the Olympics, in the Fed Cup before. I received so much help and support. I just feel the support of the people and I’m very happy to represent Kazakhstan because I think I also bring results, which are very good for the sport in Kazakhstan. For me, it’s hard to say exactly how I feel.” On the ostracization of Russians: “When I heard that, it’s not something you want to hear because we play sports. Everyone wants to compete. We do not choose our place of birth. Of course, I feel it for them because everyone wants to participate in the biggest tournament, in Wimbledon.says Rybakina, who says he wants the war to end.

In the meantime, while the Russian contingent spent its last fortnight at home, the 23rd player in the world took advantage of her second participation in London to raise her level of play by two notches. Before her semi-final against the former number 1 world Simona Halep (18th), she had already scored 122 winning strokes in five games, including 44 aces, and won 85% of her service games.

The Romanian, former Wimbledon winner (2019), said she had found her best level. She could not do much more than the defeated before her (6-3, 6-3). “I don’t know how to describe how I feel, it was really good, I was well prepared mentally, I did everything possible and I had an incredible game”commented the one whose best Grand Slam result was only a quarter-final at Roland-Garros in 2021.

Jabeur, “Minister of Happiness”

His all-powerful style should stand out on Saturday with that of Ons Jabeur. “A great player, very difficult to play, it will not be easy to counter her drop shots and volleys”, is wary of the Kazakh about the one who, like her, will discover a Grand Slam final for the first time. To tell the truth, Jabeur, 27 years old, 1.67 m for 66 kg, had never even managed to go to half of a Major before the British fortnight. In 2020, the Tunisian made history by becoming the first player in the Arab world to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, at the Australian Open.

At the time, she was only 78th in the world. The feat acts as a click, explains the one who “gained in experience and confidence” from there. “The other players started being afraid to play against me. […] The way I play reflects my personality. A daring game, full of changes of rhythm, refreshing for those who like dots with variations. “I don’t like routine very much. I like to have fun and I like to smile. I really want to enjoy these moments, on and off the court., she insists in her column for the BBC. And then we understand why the Tunisians call it the “Minister of Happiness”. After his eighth accession to Wimbledon in 2021, Internet users in the country dug up another nickname for him: “Onstoppable”, a play on words between his first name and “unstoppable”, (“unstoppable” in English).

Unstoppable, until this cursed last four in Grand Slam where, even among men, no representative of the Arab world had yet managed to climb there. Jabeur also discussed this misfortune with the former glory of Moroccan tennis Hicham Arazi just before entering the Center Court on Tuesday July 5th. Three times Grand Slam quarter-finalist (once at the US Open, twice at Roland Garros), he knows what he is talking about. “He told me that Arab players always lose in the quarter-finals, that he was fed up and that we had to break this series. I told her that I would try, not to put all the pressure on me (laughs), she tells the site We Love Tennisafter having scrapped just under two hours (1h47) against the Czech Marie Bouzkova (3-6, 6-1, 6-1). He was very happy after the match, we were texting each other and he thanked me for finally reaching the semi-finals.

She certainly received another one after her success in the half against her friend and “barbecue partner”Germany’s Tatjana Maria (6-2, 3-6, 6-1). “I am a proud Tunisian woman today”released, enthusiastic on the Central, the one who does not miss an opportunity to summon his Tunisia, currently mired in a serious political and economic crisis.

Before the “Championships”, she announced that her sponsor, the IT company Talan Tunisie, would donate 100 euros each time she scored an ace or a drop shot during the tournament, in order to renovate a one-storey high school. marginalized region in the northwest of the country. Last summer, the right-hander sold two of her rackets for the benefit of local hospitals, when Tunisia was overwhelmed by a particularly deadly wave of Covid. Last year in Tunis, she said to herself “very proud to represent an entire nation, Tunisia” at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as “Arabs and Africa”.

“I know that in Tunisia it must be madness right now. I just try to be as much of an inspiration as possible, I want to see more Arab and African players on the circuit.” she hopes, aware of what she represents for the hopes of Tunisian tennis. Perhaps they have in mind this anecdote that Nabil Mlika, the former youth coach of Jabeur, likes to tell: at 10, she repeated to her mother that she would take her “one day have a coffee at Roland-Garros. She did it, it’s magic. She hadn’t promised anything for Wimbledon, but no doubt the members of the All England Lawn Tennis Club will accept a cup of tea with her in the event of a title.