Ons Jabeur dreams of winning a Grand Slam and with two finals behind her, she feels that it's time to finally get it done at Roland Garros.
Jabeur was pretty close to winning a grand slam during her breakout year in 2022. She played in the Wimbledon final taking on Elena Rybakina and with a set in hand, things looked really well. It was a losing effort in the end with her second chance coming at the US Open.
It was a losing effort once again however not all was bleak. The 2022 season was one that she dreamed of for a long time and in some ways, it was a necessary step for the to get where she wants to be. Sometimes you have to lose to learn how to win.
It was the kind of season I’d been waiting for for a long time. I came close to the long-held dream of winning a Grand Slam. I think my life changed beyond the tennis court.
Nobody is longer surprised when Jabeur strings together several good performances. It's become expected of her and she expects it of herself as well. It's been a tough time this year with multiple injuries. A calf injury in Stuttgart forced her to abandon plans of defending her trophy in Madrid. Even with all the struggles, the goal is the same - winning a grand slam.
This year I’ve had to cope with some injuries, so it’s not been an easy start for me. I’m patient, or at least I try to be, to hang in there and try to have an even better season than last year. [Clay] is a surface I like a lot. It gives me time to play my shots, to play my game. I love the slice, the drop shot. I know the ball stays lower when I play a slice and I’m adapting to it all the time.
She arrived in Paris last year after playing a superb clay season with many expecting a deep run from her. She stumbled in her first match losing to Magda Linette in a match which she could have and probably should have won. The pressure this year is perhaps even greater but she's ready for it.
Obviously, the pressure is there but I will use that pressure to make sure I’m ready to realise my dream, to realise the dream of an entire people, an entire continent in fact.
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