Ons Jabeur is known as a very good and very cheerful tennis player but behind the contagious smile is a dedicated worker who endured quite a few unfortunate events.
Jabeur's story is pretty well-known to most tennis fans. A trailblazer from Tunisia who hopes to inspire across the Arab world. It took her a long time to work herself to the top of the WTA Tour, but she's made it and is certainly one of the best players in the world.
Getting there took a lot of hard work and hardships, but she's powered through with a bubbly personality that allowed her to keep smiling in spite of all of that. Much of this was known, but quite a few things were revealed in a 90-minute documentary about her life, which also featured some shocking revelations.
One of those was a medical emergency after last year's Australian Open that required surgical intervention, as The National reports. She struggled to breathe after losing to Marketa Vondrousova due to a nodule that was obstructing the air from getting to her lungs. The surgery fixed it, but she missed five weeks of action because of it.
"For once in my life I had to put myself in front of everyone, my health in front of everyone. That’s something I don’t think I’ve done a lot in my career."
Her story has so many chapters and is well worth watching for all those interested. She talked about her private life, being a female athlete, carrying the hopes of a proud nation on her shoulders, as well as just being an inspiration for a large group of people.
However, the moment at the Australian Open still remains the moment that scared everyone, including her coach, Issam Jellali, who admitted in the documentary, that he thought Jabeur was going to die.
"I thought she’s gonna die."
But despite the scare, the Tunisian continue playing, and succeeding , and her father Ridha is very proud of her.
"We hope that she changes the perception of how people see the Arab world, a place capable of producing champions and winning trophies. There isn’t anything impossible for Arabs."
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