Tennis and Tunisia, the two passions of Ons Jabeur

On March 2, Ons Jabeur, 25, obtained the highest ranking of his career by settling in the 39^e place in the WTA ranking. The number 1 in African tennis is indeed experiencing a particularly brilliant start to the year, symbolized by a quarter-final at the Australian Open, one of the Grand Slam tournaments, lost to the American Sofia Kenin (4 -6, 4-6), which will be sacred a few days later. Never before has a player from an Arab country managed such a performance, or even to join the world top 50. Since then, Ons Jabeur has confirmed its success by reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament in Doha, Qatar.

Salma Mouelhi, the president of the Tunisian Tennis Federation (FTT), claims to have witnessed in recent months a real transformation of the young player: “She has reached a milestone. We have always had technical and physical qualities, but what is different is that she really believes in her. It has the potential to aim higher, the world top 10 for example. "

After the Australian Open, Ons Jabeur decided to change coach. Issam Jellalli, the former Tunisian number 1, replaced Frenchman Bertrand Perret, with whom she had worked for just over two years. "I didn't expect it, it was a little brutal. She made the choice to change things in her team, but we have good relationships. What I see is that it has improved a lot in recent months. She has more self-confidence, she puts more effort into physical work, tactics, dietetics, etc. ", explains the latter.

" Go higher "

Coming from a rather wealthy family in the Monastir region – his father Ridha is a business owner – Ons Jabeur patiently built his career. Her mother introduced her to tennis at the age of 3, like her other children. "Quickly, she wanted to make tennis her job, she turned to this goal", says Anis Bouchlaka, the national technical director, even if the girl cultivates at the same time a real passion for football.

Her education at the sports school of El Menzah, in Tunis, allows her to practice tennis intensively and it was at 16 years old, in 2010, that she obtained on the international scene her first significant result by reaching the final of the Roland-Garros junior tournament. A year later, she returned to Paris and won the tournament this time, before making her debut on the professional circuit in February 2012 in Doha.

“My parents had an essential role, their support remains important. I need mine to move on. My husband, Karim Kamoun, has been my physical trainer for over two years and this contributes to my progress. I'm not saying that it's always easy to mix the professional and the personal, but having my husband by my side is part of a family project ", explains Ons Jabeur.

In eight years of career, the player has won eleven ITF tournaments (category lower than WTA tournaments, disputed by professional and junior players ranked above the 100^e world market), including three times that of Tunis (2013, 2014 and 2016). "Until recently, when I faced a top 20 player in the world, it was no stress. Today is different, I want to beat her, I want to win. I think my life changed during the Australian Open and the two months of training at Monastir. I came out of a year 2019 not satisfactory enough for my taste, despite my presence in the third round of the US Open. I realized that you had to do a lot more to go higher. And today I know I can do it. ", explains the young Tunisian.

"A real symbol of success"

What Bertrand Perret confirms: "She has the potential to enter the top 10. She is not easy to play for her opponents and she no longer doubts. I wish him to succeed, because he is a good person, communicative and appreciated on the circuit. "

In 2011, while Tunisia was experiencing a historic political transition with the revolution, the young player was criticized, notably by the Islamists, for wearing a miniskirt on the courts. Part of the public supports her and her father, a practicing Muslim, also flies to her rescue. "She has not given in to criticism because she has personality. She is an easy going girl, pleasant, but she does not let herself be impressed ", resumes Salma Mouelhi. "Honestly, I no longer pay attention to this type of criticism. I'm much stronger now ", assures Ons Jabeur.

His visceral attachment to his country earned him great popularity, which sometimes exceeded that of the best Tunisian footballers. Ons Jabeur, who lives in Tunis, decided to prepare for the winter season at home, when she used to go to Qatar to train. His performances are closely followed by his compatriots, including by those whose tennis knowledge remains uncertain. " In cafes, people watch his matches on television, even those who do not understand the rules of tennis. It is a real symbol of success for Tunisia, a standard bearer. Politicians never miss an opportunity to congratulate them ", underlines the president of the federation.

Thanks to her earnings – around 2 million euros since the start of her career – and the financial assistance of a few sponsors, the Tunisian manages to cover her travels and a large part of the salaries of her technical staff. Its results at the international level also have a major effect on the practice of tennis in Tunisia, where the number of clubs increased from twenty-five to fifty, including in the most remote areas.

"Among men, there is Malek Jaziri, who is one of the best players in the history of African tennis and who had already contributed to the development of our sport", recalls Salma Mouelhi, even if the Bizertin, 36, is at the end of his career. "I know that at the moment there is a lot of talk about me in Tunisia. I was shown the photos taken in a cafe in Tunis, where customers were very attentive to one of my matches in Qatar. Tunisians are more interested in tennis, and it may be thanks to my results … But when there is the CAN or the World Cup, we will talk a lot about football again ", laughs Ons Jabeur, before preparing his next departure to play tournaments in the United States, in Indian Wells, then in Charleston.