"I cried, first thing I did; it was huge in Tunisia" - Ons Jabeur reveals her reaction after losing Wimbledon 2022 final
Ons Jabeur has another tough pill to swallow after losing her second Grand Slam final in a span of two months at the US Open on Saturday. While Jabeur is sad that she was second-time unlucky, the Tunisian superstar revealed that losing her maiden final at Wimbledon was a lot tougher to digest.
Jabeur fought hard in the second set of the US Open final against Iga Swiatek but ultimately lost 2-6, 6-7(5) against the World No. 1. In the Wimbledon final, on the other hand, the 28-year-old lost to Elena Rybakina after winning the opening set.
Speaking during her press conference after the final against Swiatek, the new World No. 2 opened up about her emotions after both those matches, disclosing that she dealt with her Wimbledon loss by crying and letting out her built-up emotions.
At Wimbledon, Jabeur became the first woman from Africa to reach a Grand Slam singles final, and regretted the fact that it did not translate into a historic title for the continent.
"Well, I cried. First thing I did. But it was good to let out some emotions," Ons Jabeur said when asked about her method of dealing with the Wimbledon loss. "Yeah, didn't play for a week. It was huge in Tunisia. I'm going to tell you, I did rest but not really because I had a lot of things to do."
Jabeur further expressed that she will try to enjoy her US Open success a bit more and even get some well deserved rest after a hectic hardcourt swing. She will then get back to work with an aim to end the season on a positive note.
"Definitely this time I'm going to enjoy a little bit my time, enjoy these two weeks, rest a little bit and prepare for the end of the season. Just another tournament coming up, also in Tunisia, so it's going to be great for me to prepare for it," she added.
A tournament to be proud of, @Ons_Jabeur 💙 https://t.co/mI5qLgYP9l
"We'll tell you in the next few days if I'm going to be able to sleep" - Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur admitted that her US Open final loss will also be tough to take and that she might not be able to sleep for a few days. However, Jabeur is accepting of the fact that winning and losing is part and parcel of the sport, despite lamenting that she ended up on the losing side once again.
"Definitely Wimbledon was tough. This one is going to be tough. We'll tell you in the next few days if I'm going to be able to sleep little bit."
"It's part of tennis. Winning or losing is part of it. And fortunately it is me," Ons Jabeur said on the same.
Having said that, the Tunisian player highlighted that her first WTA title also came after a period of struggle and remains confident that her maiden Grand Slam title victory is on the horizon. Jabeur further added that she intends to learn from her losses at Wimbledon and the US Open and come back stronger to win the next final she plays.
"I struggled to win my first WTA title. It took me time. So I believe this will take me time."
"The most important thing is accepting it, you know, learning from the finals that I lost. But yeah, definitely I'm not someone that going to give up. I am sure I'm going to be in the final again. I will try my best to win it. I'm not sure, but I know I will do my best," Jabeur expressed.
It's been an inspiring two weeks, @Ons_Jabeur!
#USOpen https://t.co/ZV7aIHGzq4