"I was going to ask Billie Jean King what should I do" - Ons Jabeur jokes about seeking help during Wimbledon clash against Bianca Andreescu
Ons Jabeur chimed in with some humor during her on-court interview after her third-round win over Bianca Andreescu at Wimbledon.
The Tunisian continued her impressive run at Wimbledon by defeating Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the third round of the tournament. Jabeur rallied from a set down to overcome the Canadian test. Amid rain, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist landed five aces to eventually beat Andreescu, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in just under two hours.
Speaking in the on-court interview, the former World No. 2 jokingly said it was annoying to face Andreescu's dropshots and slices. However, Ons Jabeur acknowledged that one has to do whatever is needed to win games.
"It was kind of little bit frustrating, her dropshots and slices were kind of annoying," she said. "I know how other players feel now but you know you have to do what you have to do on court and especially after today."
She then addressed Billie Jean King, who was present in the stands, and jokingly said that she felt like asking her what to do to tackle Bianca Andreescu's dropshots and slices.
"Billie [ Jean King] is watching, and I was going to ask her what I should do. I swear, I was going to turn to you. We need to talk, please, after the match," Ons Jabeur said.
"Billie is watching and I was going to ask her, what should I do?"
@BillieJeanKing 🫶 @Ons_Jabeur
https://t.co/WMOXUmnxYm
Ons Jabeur advances to the fourth round of Wimbledon, to take on Petra Kvitova
Ons Jabeur advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the third consecutive year and will take on two-time Grand Slam winner Petra Kvitova for a place in the quarterfinals.
Kvitova beat Serbian Natalija Stevanovic, 6-3, 7-5 in the previous round. Previously, the Czech professional player beat Jasmine Paolini and Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the previous rounds of the tournament.
Jabeur and Kvitova have faced each other five times on the tour, with the latter leading the head-to-head 4-1. The veteran won their very first meeting, at the 2019 Wimbledon. The duo met in the first round of the tournament, and Kvitova effortlessly beat Jabeur, 6-4, 6-2.
Ons Jabeur's only win over Kvitova came in 2022 at the Sydney International. They last met at the 2022 Cincinnati Open. Up against Kvitova in the round of 16, the Tunisian lost 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.
The winner of this clash will take on either Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia or defending champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.