Playing in major tournaments like Grand Slams puts athletes under immense pressure, and tennis players are no exception. After Iga Swiatek revealed how her psychologist helped her become a “model of mental resilience”, attention turned to the mental struggles of tennis players. Now, Swiatek has found company in Ons Jabeur, who shared how her mental trainer became her “lucky charm.”

Ons Jabeur is set to play Wimbledon’s third round against Elina Svitolina today at Center Court. She has showcased impressive performances in the first two rounds against Moyuka Uchijima and Robin Montgomery. After last year’s heartbreak, Jabeur has come back stronger, showing significant improvement. This has brought attention to her psychologist and mental trainer, Melanie Maillard. A clinical psychologist, according to her official Instagram biography, Maillard started working with Jabeur in 2017. Most sessions are online, but Maillard has been spotted at two of Jabeur’s matches, providing vital support.

Maillard was hired by the French Tennis Federation in 1998, this psychologist has worked with Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, and others. About her tournament attendance, Maillard said, “When I’m not at tournaments, I just talk to Ons, and sometimes when I come it’s very intensive and I can talk to everyone and I can feel and I can observe.  So it’s important for me to see and sometimes to feel how she is and then I can tell Karim or Issam or Ons, ‘Let’s try this or that’.”

When world No. 10 Jabeur won the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year, she credited her psychologist for part of her success. “So everything goes to Melanie, of course, We discussed that from last year already that I need her with me for more tournaments obviously, because whether you like it or not, it’s much easier than to speak to her virtually,” she said.

Calling Maillard her “lucky charm”, Jabeur emphasized how much it “helps” her to see her psychologist in the box during matches. Before the 2023 Wimbledon finals, Jabeur said, “If I win this tournament, literally, I’m taking her to Rome with me. I don’t care about her family, no, she’s coming with me.” 

Apart from Jabeur, Swiatek also highlighted the importance of mental support when she mentioned how working with her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, helped her transition from being “too emotional,” and “accused of crying during matches”  to “a model of mental resilience on the court.” 

Jabeur’s statements about Maillard confirmed the significant help she has received from her mental trainer. Maillard also explained how Jabeur has improved her skills and achieved professional success.

Ons Jabeur’s clinical psychologist thinks that Jabeur is “someone very strong” 

While speaking about Jabeur, Maillard said, “she believes more in herself. She used to be not so self-confident, She was a bit shy, now she wants to share so many things. She’s what I call a heart-open player. She had to face some fears.”

Maillard explained that it was a “big task” to make Jabeur “love working.” However, Jabeur eventually “had to make sense of this responsibility and to face” her responsibility as a trailblazer for both Africa and the Arab world. Maillard then revealed, “She is someone very strong and she knows what she has to do and why and each time she goes on court she has to remember that this is bigger than her but that she can take this responsibility”

Melanie Maillard has helped Ons Jabeur grow mentally stronger and become more aware of her identity and responsibilities. Jabeur’s praise for Maillard suggests that their partnership has been fruitful, marked by a healthy professionalism.