She was visibly embarrassed. After the semi-final success at the US Open against French Caroline Garcia (6: 1, 6: 3), she grimaced and seemed to feel a little ashamed. The top Tunisian tennis player, who became known as the “Minister of Happiness” at home, did not always show her best, the happy side in this match. She threw her bat around several times in frustration. “I think I’ll be fired from my job as Minister of Happiness now,” she said, smiling coyly. “Sometimes it’s hard to contain your frustration. Tennis is a tough sport. I want to apologize for my behavior.”
However, this small episode of frustration management quickly faded into the background. After all, the 28-year-old is the first African athlete to reach the final in Flushing Meadows. With her hard basic strokes and her variable game, she was able to fight her way to the last round. She did the same last July when she reached the Wimbledon final and made history for the African continent and her country.
In the public spotlight
No one will blame her for the brief loss of control anyway. Especially not in their home country. There she became a real star. Her former training ground “Court Ons Jabeur” near the coastal town of Ksar Hellal in Tunisia was named after her. Since her successes in the North African country, more and more people have become interested in tennis. Many watch their games on TV together in cafés. After the Wimbledon tournament, around 700 new members signed up at Jabeur’s old club.
She is aware that she is in the public spotlight in Tunisia, in Africa and throughout the Arab world. “I hope I can inspire more and more generations in Africa with my game. It means a lot to me,” she said after her victory against Garcia. Jabeur sees herself as an ambassador for her country, her culture – both always play a part in each of her matches. “If I can do it, you can too,” Jabeur said recently: “Believe in yourself.”
Strong two-year record
Her development is downright breathtaking. In her first years on the WTA Tour, she regularly failed in the first rounds of the respective tournaments. She has also worked her way up with the help of her husband Karim Kamoun, who is also her fitness trainer. Your lethargic moments from the past are gone. The high physical training requirements, the tight schedule, the restricted private life had affected her as a teenager and she almost gave up the bat early on. In the meantime she has learned that she has to accept these impairments in order to be successful.
And this knowledge pays off. Jabeur has 92 wins to his name in the past two years. No other player on the tour has had more success. Even her opponent in the final, Iga Swiatek, number one in the world rankings, has two fewer successes on her list of winners.
Ons Jabeur is now facing the big coup again. The first Grand Slam victory would make her immortal. In the Wimbledon final, she lost to Russia’s Yelena Rybakina in three sets. “It feels more real,” said Jabeur now in New York, “in Wimbledon I kind of lived a dream and I couldn’t believe it.” This dream may now become a reality in New York.