In Tunisia she is known as the ‘Minister of Happiness’ but in Eastbourne, the Victorian town on England’s South Coast, Ons Jabeur may as well be the ‘Ambassador of Anonymity’.
The reception she receives in this sunny seaside resort is in stark contrast to her homeland. She can stroll along the seafront with her husband, Karim Kamoun, without being accosted for selfies or autographs or asked what it was like to reach the final of Wimbledon last year.
The locals are largely unaware that she became the first Arab player – male or female – to break into the world’s top 10 rankings. That she is a star of the new Netflix series Break Point. That she partnered Serena Williams in the women’s doubles here last year.
Sitting down with Mail Sport yesterday ahead of facing Marketa Vondrousova in Eastbourne today, Jabeur, the 28-year-old ranked sixth in the world, said: ‘I don’t think I’m a Serena here! I don’t think they know me much. But it’s amazing to be back.
Ons Jabeur is looking to undo the heartache of last year’s women’s singles final at Wimbledon
The Tunisian (pictured) was beaten by Elena Rybakina 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the final admitted that she ‘cried’ when she re-watched it
Jabeur has been in Eastbourne ahead of the Rothesay International and was photographed participating in a beach clean on Sunday
‘People recognise me more in Tunisia. I’m enjoying every second of it because those people give me the motivation to play better and to perform better on the tennis court.
‘It’s like being an actor or an actress. Being a tennis player, you signed up for this and if you want to have more fans and more followers, part of it is taking pictures with everyone.
‘Honestly, I do it with a lot of pleasure. I enjoy that energy, enjoy that support and as long as people are following me, I need to enjoy this for at least a couple of years because it will change – other players will come up and people will forget about me!’
Jabeur is one of this sport’s more humble competitors and rarely seen without a smile, hence her nickname in Tunisia.
Yet even with her sunny disposition, the tears were flowing when she sat down to watch Break Point on Netflix. The episode dedicated to the men’s and women’s 2022 Wimbledon singles finals is called ‘Saints and Sinners’ – Jabeur being the saint, Nick Kyrgios the sinner – and it brought back the bitter disappointment of missing out on her first Grand Slam title.
Jabeur lost 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to Elena Rybakina on Centre Court last year and said yesterday: ‘I saw it before and I haven’t watched it again and I don’t think I will because it was very emotional, very tough to watch it.
‘Me and my husband, we cried when we watched the episode.’
Did reliving that defeat make her hungrier to win Wimbledon this time around? ‘Definitely. The feeling never goes away. I want to change the scenario that was there in that episode. We’ll see.’
There are worse places to warm up for Wimbledon than picturesque Eastbourne and Jabeur is confident of a week-long run at this tournament at Devonshire Park.
It was this time last year that Jabeur changed the picture on her iPhone’s background to one of the Wimbledon trophy. She felt that constant reminder helped her reach the final and it is likely she will repeat that trick on her device soon enough.
Yet if Jabeur is to succeed in winning Wimbledon, Rybakina might stand in her way all over again. The 24-year-old ranked third in the world also spoke to Mail Sport yesterday.
‘It’s been tough,’ said Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan. ‘After I withdrew (from the French Open), I went back to the hotel and was even worse so I had to stay in Paris for a few days, not leaving the room.
Rybakina (pictured) won Wimbledon last year and was pictured holding the Ladies’ singles trophy
Jabeur (right) fell short of the mark last season, but admits she ‘wanted to change the scenario’
She claimed the defeat made her ‘hungrier’ to win this time around and she will warm up in Eastbourne this week ahead of the tournament
Jabeur sits sixth in the WTA Rankings having won in Charleston earlier in the season
‘I still think I’m not 100 per cent physically where I want to be but it’s slowly getting better.’
She believes she will be ready for Wimbledon, having spent some time practising at the All England Club in the last week.
‘It is a new challenge for me to come as the defending champion,’ Rybakina said. ‘Everyone is saying I’m kind of the favourite. The goals are the same but maybe it’s a different attitude.’
Jabeur is desperate to right the wrongs of last year’s Wimbledon final and if she can win that prestigious tournament, the good people of Eastbourne may start to notice the Tunisian trailblazer who is wandering amongst them.
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