“I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here today, I want to see more Arab and African players on tour” - Ons Jabeur after her Wimbledon SF win against Tatjana Maria
Third seed Ons Jabeur beat Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in one hour and 43 minutes on the Centre Court on Thursday to make it through to the 2022 Wimbledon Championships final.
In doing so, the World No. 2 became the first Tunisian, Arab as well as African woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era.
Speaking after the match in her on-court interview, the 27-year-old said that she was very proud of her heritage.
“I'm a proud Tunisian woman standing here today," Jabeur said. "I know in Tunisia they're going crazy right now. I just try to inspire really as much as I can. I want to see more players, not just Tunisian but Arab and African players on the tour. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them.
"I see the juniors playing here, under-14s," she added. "I saw some players and I hope they really grow up and be here playing on the Centre Court."
"I am a proud Tunisian woman standing here right now"
@Ons_Jabeur is an inspiration 🤩
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/GGo4K5dKgM
She has been setting records for her country and region for the past four years. Ons Jabeur became the first Tunisian to reach a WTA final (Moscow 2018) and a Grand Slam quarterfinal (Australian Open 2020) as well as win a WTA title (Birmingham 2021).
She is also the first player from her country to first crack the top 50, which was followed by breaking into the Top 10 late last year.
The 27-year-old said that she was very happy that all the hard work was finally paying dividends.
“I really don't know what to say," Jabeur said. "It's a dream come true after years and years of work and sacrifice. I'm really happy that it is paying off and I continue for one more match now."
She will play either the 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep or Kazakhstan’s 17th seed Elena Rybakina in the final.
“Let's not play again, I'm good for now” - Ons Jabeur on good friend Tatjana Maria
Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria are good friends off the court and spend a lot of time together with each other’s families. The camaraderie was on display at the end of the match when Jabeur hugged Maria before dragging her to the middle of the crowd to ensure she receives a rousing reception for her exploits at Wimbledon this year.
Speaking after the match, the Tunisian praised Maria, who she said was an inspiration to every player on the tour.
“I definitely wanted to share the moment with her at the end because she's such an inspiration for so many players, including me," Jabeur said. "Coming back after having two babies, I still can't believe how she did it. I think it was more difficult running for her balls. She killed me and she has to make me a barbecue now to make up for all the running that I did on the court.”
"I wanted to share that moment with her at the end because she's such an inspiration for so many players, including me"
@Ons_Jabeur on @Maria_Tatjana
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Though the German took time to settle into the match, she bounced back strongly to bag the second set and force a decider. Ons Jabeur appreciated the 34-year-old's tremendous fighting spirit in her post-match speech.
“Physically she's really a beast," the Tunisian said on Maria. "She doesn't give up any point and she made me run for a lot of points. I thought she will get tired through the match but she didn't, even with the drop shots [I was playing]. Her touch, her serve, everything on the court is really impressive. I hope she continues playing this way. I love to see Tatiana going like this on the court but let's not play again, I'm good for now."