In the Wimbledon women’s singles final, two grand slam final debutants will meet for the first time, when Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Kazakhstan’s Jelena Rybakina take on each other.
Tunisian Ons Jabeurin from the starting points, it has been difficult to make an effort to join the ranks of the western tennis elites.
– The sponsors have refused to cooperate with me because of my home country, which is not fair. I’m really proud of who I am today and how far I’ve come on my own, WTA ranking number two Jabeur said in October. (you switch to another service)
– It is quite different to come from Tunisia than, for example, from the United States, France or Australia. They have local role models and more tennis clubs and tournaments.
Jabeur, 27, faces a historic occasion at Wimbledon on Saturday. She could become the first Arab and North African woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era that began in 1968.
South African Johan Kriek won the Australian Open men’s singles titles in 1981 and -82.
Jabeur wants to use his opportunity in the spotlight to show the way to players from outside the traditional tennis countries.
Nicknamed the Minister of Happiness in Tunisia, Jabeur’s moves have fueled the country’s tennis frenzy. The sport is currently on everyone’s lips.
– Tunisians have forgotten their problems. Everyone is proud of Ons. He is indeed the Minister of Happiness, the Minister of Sports of Tunisia Kamel Deguich told Reuters.
Already earlier, Jabeur became the woman who went the farthest in the Wimbledon grand-slam tournament in her continent, when she defeated the Czech Republic in Tuesday’s quarter-finals Marie Bouzkova with a score of 2–1 and progressed to the semi-finals. Semi-final opponent, German Tatiana Maria crashed on Thursday with the same set numbers.
The whole of Tunisia follows
The daughter of a family of four, Jabeur started playing tennis in the Tunisian coastal town of Ksar Hellal on the courts of local hotels. Soon he joined the city’s tennis club. Jabeur often imagined himself while playing Serena or Venus Williams.
– The handball coaches tried to encourage him to join the sport. Ons seriously considered changing sports, but decided to continue playing tennis.
The tennis promise moved to the capital Tunis at the age of 13 and joined the state sports club. Investing in tennis paid off.
Jabeur won the French Open girls’ singles title at the age of 16 in 2011.
In the years 2012–2016, Jabeur moved between places 100 and 200 in the WTA ranking. She rose to 83rd in the top 100 in 2017. The following year, she reached the final of a WTA tournament for the first time. In 2021, he already rose to number 10 in the world ranking.
At the moment, the Tunisian is second on the list after Poland By Iga Swiatek after.
Jabeur knows how to change the tempo of the game and tries to surprise his opponents. Stop shots in particular are part of his gimmick selection. The skilled Tunisian gambler has often been compared to a tennis pro to Roger Federer.
People who know Jabeur describe her as a funny and open woman whose family and husband, a physical trainer Karim Kamoun support him. The nature of the player has not changed as the reputation has grown.
– He still collects balls in training, as he did as a child, ex-coach Mlika said.
Despite his international success, Jabeur still lives in Tunisia.
We will see a new champion on Saturday
Jabeur will face Kazakhstan in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon Jelena Rybakinawho is ranked 23rd in the WTA rankings. In the Wimbledon final, two grand slam final debutants will meet for the first time, as Rybakina will also play in the first singles grand slam final of her career.
Rybakina defeated the 2019 Romanian Wimbledon champion in the semifinals Simona Halep straight in two sets (6–3, 6–3). The Kazakh’s hard passes, reach and forehands turned the game in his favor.
– It’s hard to believe this. This was a great match. Halep is a great player, but I played very strong, Rybakina said after the match.
Rybakina, 23, previously represented Russia at the junior level. However, he switched to the colors of Kazakhstan four years ago. Kazakhstan has recruited several top Russian players by offering them funding.
Russian and Belorussian players are not allowed to participate in Wimbledon because of the war of aggression in Russia. Rybakina, who still practiced closely in Moscow after changing the country of representation, did not take a position on whether she still feels Russian.
An exciting show can be expected from the final encounter, as both Jabeur and Rybakina have played versatile tennis in the tournament. The players who advanced to the final have met twice before. Rybakina won in Wuhan in 2019 and Jabeur in Dubai in 2021. The two’s previous meetings both stretched to three sets.
– It will be a great match. Jabeur is a tricky opponent with his stopping punches. It won’t be easy, but I will do my best, Rybakina, Kazakhstan’s first grand slam finalist, said.