After French Open exit, Ons Jabeur shifts focus to winning Wimbledon

NEW DELHI: Despite her disappointing loss in the French Open quarter-finals to Beatriz Haddad Maia, world number seven Ons Jabeur quickly shifted her focus to her next objective: winning Wimbledon. The Tunisian player, who was the runner-up at the prestigious tournament in London last year, is determined to make another strong run and clinch the title.

Jabeur's aspirations of becoming the first African woman to win a Grand Slam singles title were dashed with her defeat against Haddad Maia, who displayed remarkable resilience throughout the match. Nonetheless, Jabeur remains undeterred and optimistic about her future prospects.


Having already reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022, Jabeur has demonstrated her ability to excel on the biggest stages. Her past successes fuel her determination to continue pushing forward and strive for glory at Wimbledon, where she aims to leave a lasting mark.

With her sights set on achieving greatness at the renowned grass-court tournament, Jabeur's resilience and unwavering determination make her a formidable force to reckon with as she pursues her dream of claiming a Grand Slam victory.

"I'm hoping to go and get the title really in Wimbledon," Jabeur told reporters. "I'm dreaming about it. It's something that I always wanted."


"Last year was unfortunate because I was very close," she said. "When I put something in my mind, I know I can do it, so it's definitely here. Grass season has already started in my head."

She had looked to be on track for a last-four spot after comfortably winning the first set but could not break her opponent in the second and Haddad Maia clinched the tiebreaker before running away with the decider.

Jabeur has had a stop-start season in which she had knee surgery before winning the title in Charleston and skipping the Madrid Open with a calf problem.

"I didn't have much time to prepare for especially clay season because it's more physical than any other surface," said the 28-year-old.

"I'm feeling okay. I think I rushed my way back on tour, but that's because I wanted to be ready for the French Open," she said.

"Like all the training and the physical training, maybe I didn't have enough time to prepare for that, but I did my maximum. I did what I could do in a short time period."

Jabeur will kick off her grass season with tournaments in Berlin and Eastbourne.

"For now I think I'm going to have the same schedule. Berlin, Eastbourne. Maybe Venus (Williams) wants to play doubles there. I'm not sure. She didn't ask me yet. Then Wimbledon. Just trying to play as many matches as I can," she said.

(With Reuters inputs)


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