Ons Jabeur ready to partner with Venus Williams anywhere she wants for doubles
World No.7 Ons Jabeur has expressed her desire to play doubles with tennis legend Venus Williams.
After recovering from an injury, Ons Jabeur made her comeback at the 2023 Italian Open, where she was defeated in the second round by Paula Badosa. The Spaniard easily defeated the Tunisian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
Badosa put constant pressure on Jabeur's serve, converting five of nine break points to win in 70 minutes. Jabeur matched her opponent's three aces and hit 21 winners to Badosa's 15, but her Rome title bid fell apart at the first hurdle as she made two more unforced errors.
win for @paulabadosa! A top 🔟 win for @paulabadosa!
Badosa is through in straight sets d. Jabeur 6-1, 6-4.
#IBI23 https://t.co/PPcPbMwko3
Following that, a tennis fan on Twitter asked Ons Jabeur when she would play doubles with Venus Williams, tagging both stars.
"@Ons_Jabeur doubles with @Venuseswilliams when?" the fan asked.
@Ons_Jabeur doubles with @Venuseswilliams when? 🥺❤️❤️🙏
Jabeur responded that she is ready to play doubles with the seven-time Grand Slam champion whenever she wants.
"Whenever she wants to," she replied, adding a smiling emoji.
@VenusGauff @Venuseswilliams Whenever she wants to 😁
Ons Jabeur feels that Venus Williams had something to do with Serena Williams teaming up with her for doubles
Serena Williams, who retired after the US Open last year, teamed up with Ons Jabeur in Eastbourne in 2022 as she returned to action after a year-long injury layoff.
The pair overcame a set and match point deficit to defeat Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo 2-6, 6-3, 13-11 in their opener. In the second round, they defeated Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
After winning two matches on the south coast of England, the pair were set to face Magda Linette and Aleksandra Krunic in the semifinals. However, Jabeur's right knee injury forced them to withdraw from the grass-court event.
In a 2022 interview with Arab News, Ons Jabeur stated that she interacted with Venus Williams more than Serena Williams and believed that the older Williams sister had a hand in the 23-time Grand Slam champion teaming up with her.
"I usually speak with Venus more than Serena. I feel like there is a 50 percent chance that Venus had something to do with it. It was great, you would say yes right away of course. It’s a pleasure that she chose me, it’s unbelievable," she said.
While Jabeur had no idea why Serena Williams chose her as her doubles partner, she was overjoyed with the choice.
"I don’t know honestly why she picked me but I’m glad that she did. Maybe Venus had something to do with it, maybe she was watching a bit of tennis and she saw some North African girl playing good lately so maybe that kind of helped. I hope she was watching the Madrid final as well," Jabeur said.