Tennis – Jabeur, what a fairy tale: this is who is the first Arab in the top 10

Tennis pushes the boundaries, even with a quarter-final match on the Indian Wells women’s draw. The protagonist of the story is Ons Jabeur, a 27-year-old Tunisian. Already junior world champion at Roland Garros 10 years ago, increasingly protagonist in the women’s ranking with a 2021 to remember. She beat Anna Kontaveit on Californian hard courts in two sets and on Monday, even in the event of a defeat in the semifinals against her friend Paula Badosa, she will become the first Arab (including men) in the top 10 of world tennis. “It’s incredible – he said after the match he won on Kontaveit-. I have worked so hard. At the end of last year I said I wanted to be in the top 10. People doubted me. I worked so hard ”. And Billie Jean King applauds: “His victory is historic”.

In hotels

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Born on August 28, 1994 in Ksar Hellal, a small town in Tunisia, she grew up in Sousse with her parents, two older brothers and sister. Fan of Juve (but also of Real Madrid), she started playing at the age of 3, accompanied by her mother who loves tennis. At 10, since his club did not have fields, he trained in those of the nearby hotels. The jump came at the age of 14, when she was selected by the Liceo Sportivo of Tunis. “I am a 100% Tunisian product – he proudly said at the Australian Open -. I had received several offers from US colleges but never considered it an option because I wanted to land directly in tennis Pro without going through university. My mother convinced me of the importance of education, so I graduated from high school and therefore concentrated totally on tennis. I tried a few academies in Belgium and France, but for short periods, staying in Tunisia was the best option for me, with mostly French coaches ”.

Fantasia

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Variety and unpredictable shots, solid forehand and backhand, Jabeur climbed the rankings step by step. “My game hasn’t changed,” he said. “I want to play the slice, be good with the forehand. I am improving in many things ”. She has been married since 2015 to former fencer Karim Kamoun, who has also been her trainer in the staff led by coach Issam Jellali for 4 years. Next to her to make the dream come true, because as she said in 2019, after being awarded as Arab woman of the year: “I have been playing tennis since I was a child to inspire Arab women, to make it clear that nothing is impossible. I feel like an ambassador for my country, but also for young people and women ”.