When Ons Jabeur reflects on her historic run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, she struggles to pick just one standout moment – the experience as a whole played out like a movie.

Ranked No.24 at the time, the popular Tunisian blasted through the draw, knocking out three Grand Slam champions in consecutive matches to become the first Arab or North African woman to reach the last-eight stage at the All England Club.

Twelve months on, the 27-year-old returns to SW19 as the No.3 seed and will be ranked a career-high No.2 in the world when she steps on Court No.1 for her opening clash against Swedish qualifier Mirjam Bjorklund on Monday.

“Amazing memories from last year, especially the crowd was amazing, playing on Centre Court was a dream come true,” Jabeur told wimbledon.com.

“This year I come with high expectations.

“Obviously the main goal is to go further than a quarter-final.

“I’m ready for the challenge and hopefully the Centre Court will bring me much more luck.”

In the second round last year, Jabeur took down five-time champion Venus Williams with a commanding straight-sets performance on No.1 Court.

Two days later, the ‘Drop Shot Queen’ made her Centre Court debut and overcame 2017 winner Garbiñe Muguruza 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in a duel that felt more like a final than a third round.

The crowd was rapt by Jabeur’s flashy brand of tennis and the applause grew louder and louder with every hot shot she pulled off.

“Obviously playing Muguruza for my first time on Centre Court was a very new experience for me, and the fact that the royals were there, it’s kind of like… those things help me play better and maybe try to do better to impress them.

“I don’t know how to say it but it’s like that for me,” Jabeur said.

Her husband and fitness trainer Karim Kamoun beams when his mind wanders back to that day.

“I remember the point Ons made with Muguruza, the banana shot,” he says proudly.

“And I remember the Duchess of Cambridge was watching Ons, and she was clapping and she was happy for Ons. For me those moments are unforgettable.”

In the fourth round, Jabeur dismissed No.7 seed Iga Swiatek, who had won her maiden Grand Slam at Roland-Garros the previous season.

“I think it was one of the greatest matches that I played,” said Jabeur, who was thrilled when Roger Federer congratulated her after the contest.

Just like last year, Jabeur arrives at Wimbledon with a grass court title under her belt.

She triumphed on the lawns of Berlin earlier this month and made the doubles semi-finals alongside Serena Williams in Eastbourne before withdrawing with a knee injury.

It was a precautionary decision from Jabeur to ensure she is in peak condition ahead of her assault on the Wimbledon title.

Williams made a surprise call to Jabeur ahead of Roland-Garros, asking her to play doubles in Eastbourne.

The fun pairing won two matches together before making the trip to south-west London, where they shared a court again for a practice session on Saturday.

Jabeur and her team have been taking in every moment they’ve spent with Serena and her crew.

The Tunisian has been observing how locked-in Serena gets during the key points of a match and is in awe of her “champion’s mentality”.

Kamoun has also been watching and learning.

“Believe me, it was magical. Hanging around Serena’s team was for me like magic,” Kamoun said.

“Talking with Serena, joking. We invited her to Tunisia. She was so happy, she said, ‘OK I’m coming, I heard that Venus is coming,’ and Ons said, ‘OK, so you come with Venus.’ It was so nice.

“I discovered Serena last week and she’s so, so nice.

“Her heart, I don’t know how to express, to find the words, but she’s so lovely.

“First of all, I learned how Serena is acting on court. Even in practice she doesn’t want to miss.

“She’s hitting the ball and every ball is like she’s playing a match, so every ball counts and she’s so focused on each movement.

“I was more focused on how she hits the ball, how she accelerates with the hand and I was watching her and at the same time imagining what I can do with Ons, in fitness – my job – how to get similar things to do with Ons like Serena is doing.”

Kamoun is one of several key factors behind Jabeur’s incredible rise, along with her coach Issam Jellali and her psychologist Melanie Maillard, who is with her this Fortnight at Wimbledon.

He sees a “more mature” version of his wife on court, and gets visibly emotional when he discusses his feelings about seeing her reach No.2 in the world.

“Honestly, it’s something big. We worked really hard,” Kamoun said.

“Ons, when she puts a target in her mind… she said I want to be top 10, then she said top five, and lately she said, ‘OK, next year, No.1.’

“She said she wanted to win more tournaments. Now she won Madrid and Berlin (this season).

“The most important thing is that she understands that when she puts in the work, she reaps the reward.

“It’s not like she is not working and is saying I want to be No.1. Ons is working hard.

“She is investing a lot in her recovery. She built up a team around her that makes her feel comfortable and each one of us understands perfectly their role and responsibilities.

“Let’s do it, nothing is too hard. In Tunisia, we have a saying, ‘Everyone was born after nine months,’” he added, highlighting the ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude embraced by the whole team.

Jabeur has always been ambitious and was fuelled by the naysayers who doubted her when she was a young teen, saying she wanted to win a Grand Slam and become a top 10 player.

Her level and mentality have now caught up to that ambition and Kamoun insists he always believed Jabeur would make it one day.

“It was part of the marriage contract, to be No.10 in the world. Now we are No.2, we are enjoying,” he said, bursting into laughter.

For Jabeur, Wimbledon was her main goal before the season even started.

“I have a feeling about this one for some reason,” she said.

“Wimbledon has always had a special place in my heart.”

Judging by the crowd’s reaction to her from last year, the feeling is certainly mutual.

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