LONDON: When Ons Jabeur arrived here for Wimbledon last week, she felt “a bit sad”.
The Tunisian history-maker has enjoyed extraordinary success but has also suffered some of her biggest disappointments on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Understandably, her devastating defeat in the last 12 months still stings.
It was Jabeur’s second consecutive appearance in the Wimbledon final and she was considered the favorite against Marketa Vondrousova, who had significantly less experience playing on grass before the competition.
However, the left-handed Czech proved to be as cold as ice and dealt a nervous and exhausted Jabeur a straight-sets defeat, securing his first Grand Slam title.
“A lot of memories from last year came back to me. I felt like crying a little bit,” Jabeur told Arab News of how she felt after returning to the legendary All England Club last week.
“But at the end I remembered that this is where I want to be, at such an amazing tournament. I feel so much love here, so much respect.
“I don’t think I’ve felt this much love and respect anywhere else. It’s amazing to be here. I don’t want to take any of this time I’m here for granted. I want to enjoy every second of being here at Wimbledon.”
Tunisian Ons Jabeur takes part in a training session ahead of Wimbledon 2024 at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, June 30, 2024. (AFP)
There’s a moment of uncertainty in Jabeur’s words. Is he suggesting he might not return to SW19 too many times in the future?
“I’m not saying I’m retiring or anything. But you don’t know what might happen in the future. So I’m really trying to see the positive side of it all,” said the North African, who turns 30 next month.
“I try to see that out of millions of players, I’m one of the players who could be playing here at Wimbledon. It’s really amazing that I remember that and it’s really amazing to be grateful.”
In the documentary “This Is Me,” produced and released earlier this year by Tod TV, Jabeur revealed the reason why she cracked under the pressure in last year’s championship decider.
Married to former fencer Karim Kamoun since 2015, Jabeur has revealed she wants to start a family. However, it has been difficult for her to leave the tour after playing so well. She is currently ranked 10th, but at one point was ranked No. 2 in the world.
She felt that the 2023 Wimbledon final was her chance. “If I win this (final), I can have a baby right away. And that dream was gone. I was haunted by fear,” Jabeur said in the documentary.
A year on from that difficult experience, Jabeur found herself back on the All England Club turf, ready for another chance to win the most prestigious trophy in the sport.
She believes her attitude has changed and she is taking a different approach to this two-week Wimbledon. “One thing I have finally come to terms with is that I have separated having a child from winning a Grand Slam,” she explained.
“Because they were both in the same category, which was bad and a bit difficult for me.
“So I’m like, OK, it’s out of my control when to win a Grand Slam. I’m not going to impose a schedule on him. It also relieved me a little bit of the pressure that I have on myself.
“But also accepting what I do; I know that I do everything 100 percent. I have a team behind me that always supports me and I’m going to leave 100 percent on the pitch. And if it comes, it comes, and if it doesn’t, I know that I don’t regret it because I’ve tried everything.”
One of the most memorable moments from last year’s tournament was when Jabeur broke down in tears during the trophy ceremony, showing the world just how painful that defeat was and what winning Wimbledon really meant to her.
She was comforted by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who, like many people around the world, seemed genuinely moved by Jabeur’s tears.
It was Jabeur’s third defeat in a Grand Slam final (she also lost in the 2022 US Open title decider).
Her emotional moment on the court was reminiscent of Andy Murray’s emotional speech after losing the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer in 2012.
It was the Briton’s fourth defeat at this stage of the competition, but in subsequent years he won three Grand Slam tournaments, two of them at the All England Club.
“I know he’s lost a couple of Grand Slam finals and I’ve seen him win here, twice, which was incredible. And he’s won the Olympics here as well,” Jabeur said of Murray’s exploits on home soil.
“What he did and how he bounced back and won was really incredible. And I hope that’s a fairy tale for me, too, how my story ends.”
While Jabeur may draw inspiration from Murray’s story, there’s another Andy she enjoys consulting — one she’s admired since she was a little girl.
“I was actually thinking about Andy Roddick, how many times he lost (the Wimbledon final) and didn’t manage to win,” she said.
“I was going to text him and say, ‘If you had to change something and do something differently, what would you do?’ I’m still on the fence about whether or not I should do it.”
With Wimbledon starting Tuesday and her sights set on reaching the final for a third straight year, a call to Roddick wouldn’t hurt.