EXCLUSIVE: Tennis star Ons Jabeur talks EURO 2024, Wimbledon and her current form
Jabeur spoke exclusively to Flashscore after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event in the German capital, weeks before her quest to win the Wimbledon title she's been dreaming of for so long.
The former world number two will play Coco Gauff, the current world number two, on Friday for a place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Jabeur spoke to Flashscore just after her press conference, in which she discussed her defeats in Grand Slam finals, her knee pain and the grass courts of Wimbledon.
What team are you supporting at Euro 2024?
"Everyone knows that I'm a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, so I'm rooting a bit for Portugal. I also like England and Italy, and since I'm in Germany, I'll be rooting for Germany too (laughs).
"I try to watch and enjoy the games as much as I can. When Turkey won (against Georgia), it was like they'd won the Euro here, everyone went crazy. And Turkey's flag resembles Tunisia's, so when they're winning I pretend it's Tunisia (laughs)."
Would you like tennis to have a more football-like atmosphere?
"That's a difficult question because we're not used to the crowd chanting during points or anything like that, but anything that (happens in the crowd) not during points would be amazing. I've had that experience in a few matches and the atmosphere was unbelievable."
When someone shouts "Let's go, Ons" and you're already concentrating on the point, does that get in the way?
"No, I always take it as a positive thing. As I said, I really like it when the crowd chants, it's really nice to hear."
Stefanos Tsitisipas is obsessed with his ranking, while Madison Keys finds it a distraction. What's your relationship with rankings?
"At the moment I'm not doing much counting, I feel I'm a long way away (from the top). Now I'm just trying to regain my confidence, have fun on court, enjoy my game and be solid as a tennis player. Everyone deserves to be where they are (in the rankings), and the most important thing is to be strong in the rankings."
Bia Haddad Maia once said that she dreamt about winning Wimbledon. Do you have good dreams or nightmares about Wimbledon?
"I'm not a big dreamer, to tell you the truth. I've never had dreams about Wimbledon, but I hope that one day I'll live that dream as a reality."
Wimbledon grass is "completely different"
At the press conference after her come-from-behind victory over 28th seed Linda Noskova, the Tunisian spoke about her level of tennis, her physical condition and how she overcomes tough defeats at majors.
A champion in Berlin in 2022, Ons also revealed why the grass at Wimbledon is unique. The questions below are from Flashscore and the WTA.
How's your knee?
"My knee is ok for now. Some days are better than others, but I think after Wimbledon I'll have to check it again. On clay it's ok, on grass it's ok, but changing surfaces isn't the best, so I have to keep it under control."
Is there still a gap between the level of tennis you're playing and the level you want to reach?
"I think it's about even. There are lots of things I can improve, but I'm learning from experience that you can play badly and reach a final - as happened at Wimbledon last year - and you can play well and also reach a final. So I think the most important thing is to stay positive in every match.
"Once you go to Wimbledon, it's a completely different tournament, it's completely different grass, but I enjoy playing on grass and I hope to gain confidence before Wimbledon."
The WTA 500 in Berlin claims that their grass is very similar to Wimbledon. Don't the players see it that way?
"I've been told that there's some underground material that can't come from England because of a customs problem. And it can't be the same, because the climate is completely different, it doesn't rain as much here in Berlin as it does in London.
"If you ask a footballer, he'll tell you that every stadium has different grass, and I think we tennis players can be more rigorous about this because we depend more on the bounce of the ball."
How different is the grass in Berlin to Wimbledon?
"The ball bounces higher here, there are more uneven bits and you get bad bounces. I also think the grass is slower because the ball bounces higher. Iga (Switek) would love to play here (laughs)."
Do you feel that only winning Wimbledon is a success for your career and everything else is a failure?
"If I asked any tennis player on this planet: 'Would you like to reach three Grand Slam finals?' everyone would say yes, and I've actually asked some players this question to remind myself to be grateful. Some tennis players have never achieved what I have. And being grateful for what you've done is important in life in general.
"I come from a small country, from a continent that dreams of winning a Grand Slam, and it's great what I've achieved. Of course, it's always difficult to reach the final and not win, but I'm going to keep chasing my dreams.
"I've learnt that I can't be afraid of failure because it gives me courage. If I reach the final again, and fail again, and recover again, and reach another final again, I'll understand it more as being a strong woman than anything else."
You can follow the WTA 500 event in Berlin live at Flashscore