Ons Jabeur is experimenting by playing without any of her coaching team, an unusual move that aims to test her abilities to think for herself.
Jabeur competed for the first time since her Wimbledon final defeat at the Silicon Valley Classic. It was important for her to make a positive start in California to put that brutal loss at SW19 against Elena Rybakina behind her.
The Tunisian achieved that with a solid performance against the 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys. She progressed to the next round after a 7-5, 6-1 victory, taking control of the match after a tight opening set.
Jabeur possesses one of the most watchable styles on the ATP or WTA Tour. However, the absence of the 27-year-old's team from the match generated at least as much attention as the tennis played during the contest.
The Wimbledon runner-up revealed the reason after the match. She said she wanted to try being alone with her thoughts on the court without any assistance.
"“This is an individual sport and at the end of the day, I’m on the court alone and I’m with my thoughts. So I thought it would be great experience for me to try that out. I really love to challenge myself sometimes and be able to do those kind of things on my own. For me, the main thing was to manage my emotions on the court better."
Although Jabeur was testing out that new approach of being alone with her thoughts, she is always grateful for the support Tunisians give her. Jabeur feels supported in every match she plays.
“I’m not playing just for myself, I’m playing for my country and wherever I go I find a lot of Tunisians, It makes me feel like I’m supported all the time. Everybody is trying to bring the flag every time so they can show me that there are Tunisians around.”
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