A day with Ons Jabeur: Rising Tunisian star

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  • Ons Jabeur is getting married next month to another athlete.

    She is the most promising young player emerging from the Arab world and peaked at No118 in the rankings earlier this season.

    Tunisian Ons Jabeur made waves when she won junior Roland Garros in 2011 and has been trying to replicate that success on the women’s tour ever since.

    She is one of 12 girls nominated in the ‘World’ category for the WTA Rising Stars Invitational fan vote which could send her to compete in Singapore in an event staged alongside the WTA Finals.

    Should Jabeur get voted through, Singapore would be the perfect prewedding celebration for her as she is due to get married just a few days after the event.

    Sport360 caught up with Jabeur to find out more about what it’s like being a WTA Rising Star.

    How do you feel about being part of the WTA Rising Stars Invitational fan vote?
    I’m so excited to get this chance to play. We’ve been planning this, my manager with the WTA. It’s a big opportunity for me to show the world what I’m capable of. Hopefully the fans vote for me and I hope to be in Singapore in a few weeks.

    Do you have memories of watching the WTA Finals in the past?
    To be honest I never really watched the WTA Finals except maybe last year, I saw how Serena Williams won it but Simona Halep was very impressive and she beat her in the group stage. I thought Simona would win the final.

    With your wedding just after the WTA Rising Stars Invitational, this must be a very hectic time…
    I still can’t believe that I’m getting married next month. Everyone is telling me it’s next month and I’m like ‘come on, it’s not that soon’. I’m not that stressed now. I’m busy with tournaments. I’m trying to forget a bit about the wedding and focus more on tennis. So I was like preparing everything, and when I get back home for a week I’ll prepare some more but for sure I’m so excited. I’m happy to start a new chapter in my life with the one I love and I hope everything will be set before Singapore. I hope the last tournament before I get married would be Singapore. So it will be so exciting to finish there, fly home and get married.

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    So if you’re voted through, Singapore would be like your bachelorette trip?
    If they will have a party for me there, why not? I’m really open to everything (laughs).

    Do you feel as a pro tennis player you’re more mature than a regular 21-year-old?
    It’s a choice to get married at this age. I’m 21, yes, but I don’t see myself like any other 21-year-old who is going to college and having a regular life. I started travelling at a very young age and I feel I’m ready to get married. My future husband is an athlete (fencer) so he can really help me and support me. A lot of people have told me that I’m too young to get married but I don’t want to waste my time. If I want to be with him for the rest of my life, I just want to start now.

    You started 2015 quite well, qualifying for the Australian Open and you had a big match with Caroline Wozniacki in Indian Wells but then things didn’t go so well… 
    Honestly it’s not my best season even though I reached my best ranking this year. It’s still not my best season. I worked really hard and I gave all I had. I had the chance to be in the top-100, which was my goal at the start of the season, and I didn’t take it. I’m just going to keep my head up and work harder. I know I can do it, I just need a little bit of time and to work a bit more and I hope everything is going to be fine and that I’m able to reach my goals.

    Why do you think you weren’t able to perform the way you wanted this year?
    It’s a big question and it’s tricky as well. I was kind of injured all the time, especially my wrist. I tried to play with it, then rest, then play, then practice less. So I would say injuries made things hard for me and of course sometimes I played really well like against Wozniacki and sometimes not… I couldn’t keep the same rhythm and play at the same level but I’m trying to improve and I hope I will learn from my mistakes and that next time I will be much better.

    Some of the girls of your generation have had big breakthroughs in the WTA and are ranked quite high. Is it tough seeing them succeed like that?
    For sure it’s hard to see players who I was playing against, beating them and now they’re in the top-30 or top-20 and everyone is just reminding me of it. It’s hard of course. I’m stuck at 140. The hardest thing is beating players in the top-40 or top-50 and I just can’t get in the top-100. It’s really hard to focus on winning and just playing matches and it’s one of the things that didn’t let me win more matches or points. I have to focus on the way that I play and just believe more in myself. Focus on what I’m doing and not the others.

    Do you feel pressure representing the Middle East almost solo in the WTA?
    Maybe a little bit. I just want to be a good example for the other Arab players and of course to represent all the Arab countries is a big honour. I always expect to do it in the best way.

    You have quite a big following online. Sometimes people can be extremely harsh on social media. How do you deal with that?
    I get a lot of positive comments for sure, and a lot of harsh tweets or messages on Facebook. Some people are really rude and say a lot of bad words and they make comments about me, how I play, and of course my weight, but I just don’t look at those people.

     I don’t care for those kind of people because they do the same thing with other players too. Sometimes I see the same comment for me and for another player. They’re wasting their time and trying to provoke you. They’re negative comments but all you can do is either ignore them, or try to take them in a positive way.


    If there’s one person you wish followed you on Twitter, who would it be?

    Alot of people but since I love Andy Roddick, it would be him and maybe Jennifer Aniston. And Eminem too.

    If there is a song you’d choose to walk out on court to, which one would it be?
    ‘Till I Collapse’ by Eminem.

    What are your typical pre-match rituals?
    I listen to music before the match, try to focus, put on a lot of energetic songs that make me want to dance or jump everywhere.

    What’s your favourite tennis match you’ve ever watched?
    The 2009 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

    What’s your favourite TV show?
    I watch Ellen Degeneres, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. I love them.

    Who is your dream mixed doubles partner, besides Roddick?
    Come on, Roddick is the best option. Okay maybe Novak Djokovic or Malek Jaziri.

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