Ons Jabeur described the 2023 Wimbledon final loss as the toughest one of her career, and now we know why that is.
Ons Jabeur contested three Grand Slam finals in her career and didn't win a single one. The first one was the Wimbledon final last year against Elena Rybakina, where she was favored. She won the first set but then lost the next two and lost the match.
Her second chance would come later that year at the US Open, but once again, it was a losing effort. This time around, it wasn't even particularly close. The next chance came this year at Wimbledon again.
She actually felt quite confident leading up to the event and was the overwhelming favorite, but then fell against a player who didn't have much success on the grass before that event.
To say that it crushed her would be an understatement, and she said so herself. She repeated how crushing the defeat was multiple times, but now, she added something we didn't know before in her documentary.
Jabeur was contemplating pausing her career to become a mother if she won Wimbledon, but that got pushed back since she didn't.
It was the tournament where I said…I’m going to win it and then maybe take a break and have a baby. So not only not winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby vanished with the trophy.”
Becoming a mother is something she's wanted for a long time, which is why the loss was even more devastating for her. It wiped away two of her dreams.
Still, she remained steadfast in her pursuit of a Grand Slam. A new opportunity arises in 2024, and she's working hard to make her dream a reality. The first opportunity will come at the 2024 Australian Open, which is about two weeks away.