US Open runner-up Ons Jabeur cries her heart out after devastating loss against Iga Swiatek in the final
It was a heartbreaking loss for World No. 2 Ons Jabeur against the top seed and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the final of the 2022 US Open. The Tunisian played some inspired tennis in the second set but could not stop Swiatek from claiming her third Grand Slam with a dominant 6-2, 7-6(5) straight-sets win.
During the trophy ceremony, the Tunisian remained restrained and even helped Swiatek out by fixing her collar. But upon returning to the locker room, she could not control the barrage of emotions that hit her after a second consecutive Grand Slam final defeat and burst out crying.
In photos that have surfaced online, she can be seen being comforted by her team as she let out her emotions after missing out on another chance to win her maiden Major title. Jabeur, the first Arab, African and Tunisian player to reach the final at a Grand Slam, lost out to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon, while Swiatek put an end to her run in New York.
Oh, that's so heartbreaking 😠https://t.co/ez7xcgWF2O
"It's part of tennis; winning or losing is part of it" - Ons Jabeur after losing in the final of the 2022 US Open
In her post-match press conference, the Tunisian was gracious in defeat, accepting the fact that winning and losing is a part of the sport. She revealed that, despite the setback, she will not give up and will try her best to win her first Grand Slam in the future.
"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 a little bit," said Ons Jabeur. "It's part of tennis. Winning or losing is part of it. And fortunately it is me. I struggled to win my first WTA title. It took me time. So I believe this will take me time," she added.
The Tunisian further mentioned that she will try to keep her hopes up in the next couple of months and bounce back from the defeat to reach more finals in the coming days.
"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," she mentioned.
"I'm not sure who I am in the next month, the next two months. I'm sure I'll be evolving for sure. I'm going to keep my hopes up. I know there is a lot of many finals coming for me," said Ons Jabeur.
A tournament to be proud of, @Ons_Jabeur 💙 https://t.co/mI5qLgYP9l