Wimbledon: Ons Jabeur Vows to Inspire Underprivileged Women of Her Country to Fulfil Her Trailblazer’s Dream

Ons Jabeur has defied all odds to reach the pinnacle of success in tennis! However, her journey and goal in the sport are far from over. The Tunisian trailblazer, who has created history in the sport, wants to swing her racquet not only to win a game but also to set an example for her country. Sending an empowering message to the young players of her country, the former World No. 2 also described the lack of advice she faced on the same while growing up in Tunisia.

Before stepping into the courts of the flushing meadows, Ons Jabeur sat down for a pre-tournament press conference. A clip of that interview, released on the YouTube channel Wimbledon, showcased Jabeur’s heartwarming revelation to the question, “What advice would you give to young players?” The 29-year-old player responded, “I hope I am doing it well, to be honest. I tried to give the best example on and off the court. I wish to see my dream to see more and more players hopefully from Tunisia, from Africa because I feel like we have amazing talent. They need someone to show them the way.”

Jabeur, who turned pro in 2010, further added, “Obviously, I understand I come from a country that may not many gave me the advice and probably if I look back I would do things differently. But those things that I did also made me stronger.” Apart from Jabeur herself, very few female tennis players have achieved her level of success in tennis. Among those who made their mark, are former tennis pro, Selima Sfar (highest ranking 75), several ITF titles winner, Nour Abbes, and others. However, the current Tunisian number 1 player, Jabeur, has achieved a great feat in her career by becoming the highest-ranked African Arab tennis player in the history of the sport. 

And now, she wants the underprivileged players from her country to follow in her footsteps and achieve greater success. Further adding, Jabeur said, “I tell them to believe in themselves, believe that they can be here one day, be anywhere they want to be and they will achieve it. I am open if they want to ask for any advice for sure.” Winner of the Arab Woman of the Year Award in the sports category (2019), Jabeur’s Wimbledon history also speaks volumes about her talent. After all, she has qualified for the finals of the event two consecutive times.

And currently, vying for her first Grand Slam, Ons Jabeur is soon going to battle against Moyuka Uchijima in the first round on July 2nd. However, amid the success and high-stakes world of tennis, Jabeur has had to leave her roots behind. Jabeur, who is associated with the World Food Programme, considers herself to be in a privileged position to represent her country in sports.

Tennis star for peace and justice!

A few years ago, Ons Jabeur won the Peace Champion of the Year award, which was once awarded to the renowned football player Lionel Messi, among many others. Happy at this achievement, Jabeur once stated, “I feel like it’s a great responsibility. It pushes me to do better and inspire more women from my country. It’s important to send that positive message..”

Jabeur, who last year donated her WTA prize money to help those in need in Palestine, further added, “It is very important to help people through what you do, especially to use your platform to inspire more people and fight for causes that you believe in.” Although she further mentioned how this was a “new thing” for her, she underscored her “love” for it.

With the hope of “spreading positive messages and thoughts,” to helping others, Ons Jabeur is on a mission to achieve great heights both on and off the court. While she does that, hopefully, she achieves her goal both on and off the court.