100 of the Most Influential Women in Sport >> Arabs

Ons Jabeur, Tunisia

Tennis

Jabeur is a true trailblazer for women’s tennis in the MENA region. The Tunisian is the highest-ranked Arab female in the game’s history, currently standing at 55 in the world – a figure that is likely to rise even further in the future based on recent form. She demurely laughed when asked about the prospect of becoming the “Naomi Osaka of Africa” – Asia’s only World No1 to date – in the build-up to the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, but the question posed to the outgoing 24-year-old was anything but ridiculous. So much of what she has done to date in her ground-breaking career points to a special player. Back in 2011, Jabeur became the first Arab female to win a junior Grand Slam title when she lifted the girls’ singles trophy at the French Open in 2011. At Rolland Garros, again, in 2017, she became the first Arab lady to make the third round of a major. Last October in Moscow, a first Arab female appearance in a semi-final or final at a WTA tournament was recorded – beating three top-eight seeds along the way. She is so far ahead of the MENA field, that no other woman from the region is ranked within the top 400. What makes her journey to the cusp of the top-50 all the more special is the fact she barely had any immediate role models to inspire her. Only compatriot Selima Sfar has ever reached comparable heights, peaking at No75 all the way back in 2001 when Jabeur was seven. Her flamboyant style and extrovert personality provides ample inspiration for the next generation, while support from President President Beji Caid Essebsi to push her to become “one of the greatest players in the world” shows how intrinsic she’s become to the Tunisian sporting scene. Jabeur has already done tremendous things – with the promise of much, much more to come.

– Jabeur has set a target to enter the world’s top 30 in the immediate future.

– She narrowly missed out on a second third-round appearance at a major during Wimbledon last year, losing 5-7, 6-4, 9-7 against Katerina Siniakova.

– Jabeur keeps family close, hiring husband Karim Kamoun as her fitness trainer.

– A career-best 2018 actually began in disastrous circumstances with a 0-5 record.

– Since she turned pro in 2010, she’s earned more than $1.1 million.

Did you know…

At the age of 13, Jabeur left the family home in Monastir and moved to join the Tunisia national team.

“Yeah, it’s inspiring to see how players can inspire a country or a continent. For me, I’m really happy to represent Tunisia. I’m trying to give my best, to behave good on the court, to try to give good example for the young generation who want to achieve what I’m doing right now.” – Ons Jabeur

Twitter: @Ons_Jabeur

Instagram: onsjabeur