Ons Jabeur’s last year’s Wimbledon final loss was also a personal defeat for her. The former World No. 2 fell short against Marketa Vondrousova by 4-6, 4-6 in the tournament’s final. With that, her dream of becoming a mother was shattered. This is because she later revealed how she planned to become a mother if she won the Grand Slam there. However, almost a year has passed since then, but the wound still feels fresh. The Tunisian tennis pro recently shared how she is hopeful to fulfill this “dream” of hers.

After a quarterfinal defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open, Ons Jabeur is back with more vigor in her next destination, Nottingham. Before the tournament started, the two-time Wimbledon finalist reflected on her upcoming matches on grass this year. The LTA Channel released a video of that press conference on YouTube. In the mid-segment of that interview, a journalist asked her, “You’ve been open about how wanting to be a mother was one of your motivations or pressure when you went to Wimbledon last year. I was wondering if you talk about how that is still a motivation for you. Is it still a pressure for you and whether other players have resonated with you.”

The 29-year-old WTA player responded, “It’s not a secret I want to be a mom like not just to have a kid and not play tennis anymore but my dream was always to have a baby and come back. Because where I come from and the region, I want to show that everything is possible. Even if you are a mom or a female player, anything you can do.”

After her emotional Wimbledon defeat in July last year, Ons Jabeur revealed her personal struggles in a documentary called, “This is Me.” There, she shed light on how she was “haunted by fear” as her dreams of becoming a mother were shattered. Jabeur’s husband, Karim Kamoun, whom she married in 2015, also had tears in his eyes after the defeat. “It was the toughest loss of my career because emotionally it destroyed me, not only winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby just vanished with the trophy of Wimbledon,” she said in the documentary.

However, in a recent interview, she revealed that becoming a mother is still her dream. “I don’t know when but definitely seeing a lot of moms coming back on tour motivates me even more. I know it’s possible and I know it’s such a great thing to be a mom,” she added. As she pointed out, there have indeed been players like Taylor Townsend, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and many others who have come back to playing tennis after becoming mothers. 

Ons Jabeur also further took the example of Rafael Nadal (who once said he wanted his son to see him play on-court) and declared that she has the same dream as him. However, Jabeur also once revealed how the thought of playing a final still scares her.

Ons Jabeur describes her “life mission” of winning a Grand Slam

Ons Jabeur, who is still seeking her first Grand Slam, disclosed the nervousness that she feels while thinking about competing in the final of Slams. She has competed in multiple Grand Slam finals in the past, and the first one was during the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. Not only that, Jabeur has also made history, even though she couldn’t achieve a Grand Slam. This is because she became the first African and the first woman to contest a major singles final by competing in Wimbledon as well as the U.S. Open finals in 2022.

However, the Tunisian tennis star once stated, “It scares me so much to go back and play a final, but I know I have to do this. I want to do bigger things than just a Grand Slam. But it will be a shame, a missing piece if I don’t make that one. I have to [win a slam]. I have no choice. Maybe it’s my life’s mission to do it.”

As the Wimbledon of this year draws close, fans are hoping to see Ons Jabeur overcome all her fears and fulfill her dreams.