Ons Jabeur has far too big a heart to hide the emotion. A runner-up finish to Marketa Vondrousova in a second consecutive Wimbledon final was, as the Tunisian described it, the “most painful loss of [my] career” and the tears flowed.
And yet, a broader spirit prevailed for Jabeur, the first woman to reach back-to-back Championships matches at Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2018 and 2019.
“It’s painful because you feel so close to achieving, so close to what you want, and [you are] actually back to square one,” said the No.6 seed, who vowed in the trophy presentation to “come back stronger” and challenge for the title again.
“I just try to get rid of these negative thoughts and continue being positive.”
There were many reasons for the 28-year-old to do exactly that as she assessed her path to a third major final. A stellar campaign had featured progress over four Grand Slam champions, including a come-from-behind win over Elena Rybakina, Jabeur’s conqueror in the 2022 Wimbledon championship match.
Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova and Aryna Sabalenka had also experienced the sting of the Tunisian’s creative yet at times gritty tennis, with three of her six match wins this tournament achieved in three sets.
If a further boost in spirits was required for Jabeur, it could be found in the tremendous level of support for the two-time runner-up. Alongside her many passionate fans, there was encouragement from HRH The Princess of Wales, who spent time consoling Jabeur on court.
“Same thing after last year: to encourage me to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win a Wimbledon,” smiled Jabeur, when asked to disclose details of their conversation.
“Obviously she was very nice. She didn't know if she wanted to give me a hug or not. I told her hugs are always welcome from me. That was a very nice moment.”
So too were post-match words of encouragement from former world No.1 Kim Clijsters, who related her own experience of losing four Grand Slam finals before claiming the first of her eventual four Slams at the 2005 US Open.
“I love Kim so much. She's a great inspiration for me. I grew up watching her a bit. The fact that she takes the time to give me advice and to really hug me, always be there for me, I think it's priceless,” Jabeur related.
“She was telling me all the time she lost four, but yes, that’s the positive out of it. You cannot force things. It wasn't meant to be.”
Always candid, Jabeur acknowledged she “was feeling a lot of pressure” as she aimed to become the first Arab, and first player from Africa, to win a Grand Slam singles title. At the same time, she noted the pressure is a by-product of her success.
“The more good results that I do, the more pressure I feel,” said Jabeur. “[I] will definitely keep learning, keep being positive. I think that's the thing that will keep me going.”
Jabeur will do so with some lessons already absorbed. Noting that “I didn’t think I played good today”, she lamented that “not serving well didn’t help” and her “backhand wasn’t there”.
And yet, true to character, a smile returned for the gracious Tunisian when reminded she’d featured in three of the last four women’s Grand Slam finals, including at the US Open last year.
“That's a positive thing that maybe I should focus on,” she reflected. “I think hopefully I will be able to take the confidence out of it and consider myself as a consistent player. Take this experience as good ones, but not bad ones, to continue and improve my game. Be the player that I want to be.
“But I know these things, maybe with me will take years. I will go for it, will put enough work for it … whenever it's going to come, learn from this match for sure, and hopefully I want to be one of the players that could win Grand Slams, not just one.”
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