“The mind has played”, Jabeur still disappointed after her new defeat in the Wimbledon final

3 mins

Never two without three. To believe the words of Ons Jabeur, this third Grand Slam final lost on Saturday July 15 at Wimbledon was almost inevitable. “ I had lost the first set of my last two matches, so I was hoping that maybe the situation would improve. But no. It was written it wouldn’t be this time », tried to analyze, hot, the one who could have become the first African to win a tournament of this caliber. Instead, Marketa Vondrousova (42nd in the world) was crowned.

A painful defeat for Tunisian tennis, which bides its time and vibrates through the performance of its champion. Salma Mouelhi, the president of the Tunisian Tennis Federation, will not say otherwise. “ We are a little sad today. We thought that was going to happen… “, she said sorry. The disappointment is all the greater since this weekend, on the English turf, Jabeur was the clear favorite against Marketa Vondrousova.

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” Maybe a lot of pressure, she was the favourite, a lot of stress. Although the other matches, she managed her emotions well. I believe that today it was the mental side that playedinsisted Salma Mouelhi at our microphone. But it will come, she has an exceptional game, she is a girl who has a lot of talent. »

The mind, nothing else

The sixth player in the world has also admitted to having had great mental difficulties in this final conceded in two sets (6-4, 6-4) : “ I felt a lot of pressure, I was very stressed. But as for all the finals and even all the matches that I played, I told myself that it would be fine, that it is normal. »

Except that nothing was normal. And Vondrousova, with a solid defense, is probably the worst opponent profile to face in this kind of psychological disposition. “ Marketa returns all the balls. Even when I was hitting a good serve, she was theregreeted Jabeur. This match was completely different from the previous three. During which she notably beat the defending champion in the quarters, Elena Rybakina, and chased the world number 2 in the half, Aryna Sabalenka. A career and a passive in the Grand Slam tournament final that made this defeat the “ most painful of (my) career »says the Tunisian.

Now we have to learn lessons. It’s time to learn for Ons Jabeur, who is still chasing a big title in his career : “ This match, like last year and the US Open final, will teach me how to win a Grand Slam final. I have to keep learning and staying positive. That’s what will keep me going. Otherwise, it will make me depressed, it will not help me much. (…) But I know that with me, it can take years. »

Interview by Frédéric Suteau and Éric Mamruth