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via Reuters

via Reuters

Try and try until you succeed. That has been the mantra for Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur over the last few years. She has come extremely close to becoming the first African woman to win a Grand Slam title on three occasions. But she has failed on every occasion. The 29-year-old tennis player has been the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023 and has also reached the finals in the US Open in 2022. Can she win a Grand Slam title this year? Jabeur thinks it is ‘very tough’. 

Jabeur recently gave an interview to CNN’s Becky Anderson before her match against Emma Raducanu at the Abu Dhabi Open. She spoke about her goals in the Olympic year and reflected on her wish to win the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Ons Jabeur says her plan is ‘to be healthy’ throughout the season

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Jabeur got off to a winning start at the Abu Dhabi Open by defeating Emma Raducanu by 6-4,6-1 in the Round of 16 clash yesterday. But before the match, she spoke about her plans for this season. Paris Olympics is going to take place from 26 July this year and here’s what she said about that, “The plan is to be healthy, you know. As I said it’s tough, the year is already very tough with four Grand Slams. To add another kind of Grand Slam is very tough. But let’s see how it goes.

 

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She further added, “You know me. My goal is really Wimbledon. Let’s see how it goes.” Last year she lost to Marketa Vondrousouva at the finals. And, here’s what she had said after that disappointing loss, “Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure, feeling a lot of stress. But like every final, like every match I played, I was telling myself, ‘It’s OK, it’s normal.’ I honestly did nothing wrong.

The ‘Minister of Happiness’ broke down in tears after losing her second straight Wimbledon finals. Consequently, she said that it was the most painful loss of her career. But she is not the one to give up. She later went on to talk about her intentions of not stopping until she achieves what she wants.

READ MORE: ‘She’s Gonna Die’ – Ons Jabeur’s Nightmarish Near-Death Experience Narrated By Her Coach In An Emotional Confession

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Ons Jabeur said she always tries to use this added pressure positively. But there was something more to her wishes following her Wimbledon wish. 

‘The idea of having a baby disappeared’ – Jabeur after her loss at the Wimbledon

Ons Jabeur dreams of starting a family and has already set her plans to put her career on hold if she wins a title at Wimbledon. Earlier she revealed, “People think I have this pressure because I wanted to do it (win a Grand Slam title) for others, which is not true. There was something personal going on there (at Wimbledon). If I had won this (final), I was going to try and have a baby right away. And that dream faded. I was haunted by fear. After all, I’m only human, what more can I do?

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It was the hardest loss of my career because emotionally it destroyed me. Not only winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby disappeared when I lost. So, I think that’s what killed us, Karim (her husband) and I, we were crying like babies, ” added Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian now hopes to become the first Arabian and African woman to win a Grand Slam tournament. Will it happen this year?

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