Ons Jabeur might have missed out on winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon but she continues to be a fan favorite at the tournament.
Shortly after conducting her press duties following her loss to Elena Rybakina in the final, Jabeur exited the media area where she was met with a big crowd of her supporters. Some of whom were carrying the Tunisian flag. As soon as they saw her, chants of ‘Ons’ erupted at The All England Club with the tennis player interacting with some of those cheering for her. Due to the situation, Jabeur was guided by security who urged fans to step back.
During her on-court interview at Wimbledon Jabeur sent her wishes to all of those celebrating the Muslim festival Eid. She later said it was ‘amazing’ to see such a diverse range of fans cheering her on.
“It’s really amazing to see a lot of fans, not just from Tunisia but from the Arab world. I know a lot of Muslims during my playing wish me a happy Eid. Even when I was serving it was like, Happy Eid. It was really amazing to have them.” She said.
“I just try to inspire as many generations as I can. It’s very nice to play this final. I really cannot wait for more finals. I hope they’re not really disappointed, but I’ll try my best next time.”
Jabeur made history at Wimbledon by becoming the first North African player to reach the final of a major event. It is the latest in a series of milestones she has achieved for tennis in Tunisia, as well as the wider Arab world. Last year she became the first from her country to crack the world’s top 10.
The 27-year-old hopes that she still will see a lot of ‘crazy fans’ in the coming weeks when she plays in North America. She is yet to go beyond the third round at the US Open which will get underway during the last week of August.
“I really cannot wait to play my next tournament, especially since I’m going to the States, and I know there are a lot of crazy fans there,” she said.
“This is just the beginning of so many things. I’m very positive about it. I really wanted the (Wimbledon) title. Maybe because I wanted it too much, I didn’t have it.’
“It’s just the beginning of great things for me. I’m really trying to stay positive, to really continue, to get the more titles that I want.”
Jabeur has confirmed that her next tournaments will be in San Jose, Toronto and Cincinnati.
