LONDON: When Ons Jabeur arrived here at Wimbledon last week, she was feeling “a bit sad”.
The Tunisian historian experienced extraordinary success, but also suffered the biggest disappointments on Wimbledon’s center court. Understandably, her heartbreaking 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 Wondrous, who had far less experience on grass entering the competition.
But the Czech left-hander was ice cold and handed a nervous and exhausted Jabeur a straight set defeat to secure his first Grand Slam crown.
“Many memories of last year came to my mind. I felt like crying a little,” Jabeur told Arab News how she felt after returning to the legendary All England Club last week.
“But in the end I just remembered that this is where I want to be, in such an amazing tournament.” I feel so much love here, so much respect.
Who else is as excited as Ons that the championships will start tomorrow? #Wimbledon | @Ons_Jabeur pic.twitter.com/MGgF7dU1rR
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2024
“I don’t think I feel so much love and respect anywhere else.” It’s so amazing to be here. I don’t want to take any moment I’m here for granted. I want to enjoy every second of being here at Wimbledon.”
For a moment there is a hint of uncertainty in Jabeur’s words. Is she implying that she might not return to SV19 too many times in the future?
“I’m not saying I’m retiring or anything. But you don’t know what might happen in the future. So for me I’m really trying to see the positive side of it,” said the North African, who turns 30 next month.
“I try to see that out of millions of players, I’m one of the players who could play here at Wimbledon.” It’s really amazing to remember and it’s really amazing to be grateful for that.”
In the documentary “This Is Me,” produced and released by Todd TV earlier this year, Jabeur revealed the reason she crumbled under pressure in last year’s championship decider.
Married to former fencer Karim Kamoun since 2015, Jabeur has revealed that she wants to start a family. But it was hard for her to leave the tour when she was performing so well. She is now ranked 10th, but at one point she was ranked 2nd in the world.
She felt that the 2023 Wimbledon final was her chance. “I won that (final) so I could have a baby right away.” And that dream faded. I was haunted by fear,” Jabeur admitted in the documentary.
A year after that difficult experience, Jabeur finds herself back on the hallowed grounds of the All England Club, ready for another shot at the sport’s most prestigious trophy.
She believes her mindset has changed and she is taking a different approach to this two-week Wimbledon. “One thing I’ve finally come to terms with is that I separated the baby from winning the Grand Slam,” she explained.
“Because they were both in the same line, which was wrong and a bit hard on me.”
“So I’m like, it’s okay, it’s out of my control when I’m going to have a grand slam. I’m not going to put a timeline on it. It also took some of the pressure off of me.
“But also accepting what I do; I know I do everything 100 percent. I have a team behind me that always supports me and I will leave 100 percent on the field. And if it comes, it comes, and if it doesn’t, I know I don’t regret it because I’ve tried everything.”
One of the most memorable moments from last year’s tournament was when Jabeur broke down in tears during the trophy ceremony, showing the world how painful the loss was and what winning Wimbledon really meant to her.
She was comforted by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who, like many around the world, seemed genuinely moved by Jabir’s tears.
It was Jabeur’s third loss in a Grand Slam final (she also fell in the 2022 US Open title decider).
Her tearful moment on court was reminiscent of Andy Murray’s emotional speech when he lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer in 2012.
It was the Briton’s fourth defeat at that stage in a major tournament, but he has won three Grand Slams, two of which came at the All England Club.
“I know he’s lost a couple of times in Grand Slam finals and I saw him win here, twice actually, which was amazing. And he won the Olympics here,” Jabeur said of Murray’s exploits on home soil.
“What he did and how he came back and won was really amazing.” And I hope that it would also be a fairy tale for me, how my story somehow ends.”
While Jabber can draw inspiration from Murray’s story, there’s another Andy he wants to consult with—one he’s admired since he was a kid.
“I was actually thinking about Andy Roddick, how he lost it (the Wimbledon final) so many times and couldn’t win it,” she said.
“I wanted to text him and say, ‘If you had to change one thing and do it differently, what would you do?’ I’m still debating whether to do it or not.”
As she prepares to begin her Wimbledon campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima on Tuesday, aiming to reach the final for the third consecutive year, perhaps a call to Roddick couldn’t hurt.