Ons Jabeur will have to put her friendship with Tatjana Maria to one side during their upcoming Wimbledon semifinal, but that has not stopped her from joking with the German's kids ahead of the contest.
The Tunisian sealed a place in her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal by defeating Marie Bouzkova 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. After a rocky start, she was exceptional in the last two sets against her Czech opponent.
Maria also reached her first Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday by winning a tight and thrilling battle 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 against her compatriot Jule Niemeier. The 35-year-old had only been to the third round of a Grand Slam once before her run at Wimbledon, making the achievement even more remarkable.
It is somewhat poetic that Jabeur and Maria face each other in their first Grand Slam semifinal appearances since the pair are so close off the court. They are not just good colleagues but very close friends.
Their closeness includes Jabeur socializing with Maria's two daughters. The Tunisian revealed a funny remark she made to Maria's older daughter, Charlotte, who is the oldest of the German's children.
“I was joking with Charlotte. I was telling her, ‘Are you going to support me or your mum?’ I’m trying to turn all the kids to my side, using the family. They are adorable kids. It’s so nice to see her with her babies on tour. I love Charlotte. She’s really nice. She’s playing tennis so it’s really amazing to see her. The little one is always smiling, great energy."
Jokes aside, Jabeur could not hide how happy she was for her friend Maria. She feels the German deserves her success after returning to the WTA Tour after having two babies.
"I just love the family in general. They invited me once to their home. It was really amazing to be with them. I’m really happy for her [Maria] that she’s getting what she deserves. I know she struggled a lot. It’s not easy coming back after having two babies. It’s going to be a great match between us, a lot of respect, for sure. Maybe not be friends for two hours or how long the match goes, and be friends again at the end."