LONDON: When Ons Jabeur arrived here for Wimbledon last week, she felt “a bit sad.”
The Tunisian history-maker has enjoyed remarkable success but also suffered her greatest disappointments on Wimbledon’s center court. It is understandable that her heart-wrenching defeat in the final 12 months ago still stings.
It was Jabeur’s second consecutive appearance in the Wimbledon final and she was considered the favorite against Marketa Vondrousova, who had far less experience on grass entering the contest.
But the Czech lefty was ice cold and handed a nervous and frazzled Jabeur a straight-sets loss to secure a maiden Grand Slam crown.
“A lot of last year’s memories came to my mind. I felt like crying a little bit,” Jabeur told Arab News of how she felt upon returning to the fabled All England Club last week.
“But at the end I just remembered that this is the place that I want to be, at such an amazing tournament. I feel so much love here, so much respect.
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“I don’t think I feel that much love and respect anywhere else. It’s so amazing to be here. I don’t want to take for granted any moment that I’m here. I want to enjoy every second of being here at Wimbledon.”
For a second there, one senses a hint of uncertainty in Jabeur’s words. Is she implying she might not be coming back too many times to SW19 in the future?
“I’m not saying I’m retiring or anything. But you don’t know what could happen in the future. So for me, I really try to see the positive side of it,” said the North African, who turns 30 next month.
“I’m trying to see that from millions of players, I’m one of the players that could play here at Wimbledon. That’s really amazing to remember and that’s really amazing to be grateful for.”
In the documentary “This is me,” produced and released by Tod TV earlier this year, Jabeur revealed the reason behind her crumbling under the pressure in last year’s championship decider.
Married to former fencer Karim Kamoun since 2015, Jabeur revealed that she wants to start a family. But she has found it difficult to walk away from the tour while performing so well. She is now ranked No. 10, but at one stage she was at No. 2 in the world.
She felt that the 2023 Wimbledon final was her chance. “I win that (final) I could have a baby right away. And that dream faded. I was haunted by fear,” confessed Jabeur in the documentary.
A year on from that tough experience, Jabeur finds herself once again on the hallowed turf of the All England Club, ready for another shot at the sport’s most prestigious trophy.
She believes her mindset has changed and is adopting a different approach to this Wimbledon fortnight. “One thing I finally came to terms with is I separated having a baby from winning a Grand Slam,” she explained.
“Because they were both in the same line, which was wrong and a bit tough on myself.
“So I’m like, it’s okay, it’s out of my control, when to have the Grand Slam. I’m not going to put a timeline on it. That also released a little bit the pressure that I have on myself.
“But also accepting what I’m doing; I know I’m doing everything 100 percent. I have a team behind me that’s always supporting me and I’m going to leave 100 percent on the court. And if it comes, it comes, and if not, I know I have no regrets because I tried everything.”
One of the most memorable moments from last year’s tournament was when Jabeur wept during the trophy ceremony, showing the world how painful that loss was, and what a Wimbledon win really meant to her.
She was consoled by Kate Middleton, the princess of Wales, who like many around the world, looked truly moved by Jabeur’s tears.
That was Jabeur’s third defeat in a Grand Slam final (she also fell in the title decider at the 2022 US Open).
Her tearful moment on court was reminiscent of the emotional speech Andy Murray gave when he lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer in 2012.
It was the Brit’s fourth loss at that stage at a major but he went on to capture three Grand Slams, two of which came at the All England Club.
“I know he lost a few times in Grand Slam finals and I saw him when he won here, twice actually, which was amazing. And he won the Olympics as well here,” said Jabeur of Murray’s exploits on home soil.
“What he did and how he bounced back and won it was really unbelievable. And I hope that would be also the fairytale for me as well, how my story ends kind of.”
While Jabeur can draw inspiration from Murray’s story, there is another Andy she is keen to consult with — whom she has admired since she was a young girl.
“I’ve been actually thinking about Andy Roddick, how he lost it (the Wimbledon final) so many times and didn’t get to win it,” she said.
“I was meaning to text him and tell him: ‘If you had to change one thing and do it differently, what would you do?’ I’m still hesitating if I should do that or not.”
As she gets set to begin her Wimbledon campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima on Tuesday, with an eye on making the final for a third straight year, perhaps a call to Roddick cannot hurt.
