Ons Jabeur on a special mission: "There are only two matches left"
Ons Jabeur continues to make history, reaching for her first Grand Slam title again.
by SID
last edit: Sep 07, 2022, 07:55 pm
Ons Jabeur was worried about her special title after her next milestone. "I think I'll be fired as Minister of Happiness," said the 28-year-old Tunisian after she had just bought her semi-final ticket at the US Open: "The racket kept slipping out of my hands."
The lightness and fun that Jabeur normally exudes was lost in phases in the narrow 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 4) quarter-final win against Serena Williams conqueror Ajla Tomljanovic. Jabeur took her frustration out on the racquet and later apologized for it.
She doesn't seem as relaxed as the "minister" is known to be. But her mission continues - on Thursday the next final is at stake in a duel against the strong Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who eliminated US hope Coco Gauff.
You can feel how much Jabeur, the Wimbledon finalist, wants to take the last step at the US Open this time. And as the first Arab and African athlete since the introduction of professional tennis in 1968, she wants to lift a Grand Slam trophy into the sky: "There are only two more matches. I will give everything."
Ons Jabeur: "Hopefully people will be inspired"
Jabeur wants to win the title for herself, but also in her role as a pioneer. She would like to see "more players from Tunisia, the Middle East and Africa" on the tour, as she always emphasizes. "At a certain point we didn't believe enough that we could do it. Now I'm just trying to show that," said Jabeur: "Hopefully people will be inspired."
Jabeur, who has already been awarded the Order of Merit for special sporting achievements by Tunisian President Kais Saied, has been doing this for a long time. She now wants to show a special performance again in the semi-finals in New York.
Wimbledon experience, when she beat good friend Tatyana Maria in the semifinals but then lost to Kazakh Elena Rybakina, should help her in the final stages of the tournament. "Even though I lost the final, I knew afterwards that I had a Grand Slam title in me," she said: "Now I'm in the semifinals of the US Open."
And that shouldn't be the end.
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