WTA Indian Wells: Ons Jabeur shortly before Arab sports history
OnsJabeur has become the absolute spearhead of both African and Arab tennis in recent years. The Tunisian could write a piece of sports history in Indian Wells.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Oct 14, 2021, 09:05 am
There is currently an extremely exciting field of tension at the top of the world on the WTA tour. On the one hand, players who have to pay tribute to the long season - made even more difficult by the COVID restrictions - and draw an early line under the year 2021 or choose an extremely leisurely program to end the season. On the other hand, players like Ons Jabeur, for whom so much is at stake at the end of the season - nothing less than history, actually.
The Tunisian created the conditions with her second round victory over Anna Kalinskaya at the Indian Wells WTA 1000 event. Should Jabeur also win her quarter-finals against Anett Kontaveit (tonight from midnight CEST), her entry into the top 10 of the women's tennis world would be certain. It would be a milestone that no Arab tennis player has achieved before.
Should Jabeur lose today, she would have to hope for help: Paula Badosa would win against Angelique Kerber. Badosa or Kontaveit should also not win the title.
WTA Finals the goal for Jabeur
The 27-year-old would only see the entry into the top ten as a start: According to Jabeur, she feels that the results are coming, but she feels that there is still a lot of hard work ahead of her. "There are so many things that I want to improve, that I have to improve." In order to possibly add chapter two of her personal intervention in Arabic sports history: the qualification for the WTA Finals, which will take place this year in Guadalajara, Mexico. A few days ago Jabeur announced that he would play for this qualification.
Despite the great distance and the low popularity of tennis in her home country, Jabeur is experiencing outstanding support from Tunisia, emphasized the 27-year-old: "The support I am receiving is incredible and I can hardly wait to go home and To be with the Tunisians. Not only that, I feel like I am being recognized more and more all over the world every time, ”said Jabeur. "It's something I never expected. It makes me happy and proud and I hope that I can continue to play better and achieve all of my goals."