ROLAND GARROS

May 22, 2022

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

M. LINETTE/O. Jabeur

3-6, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Tough one out there today. Can you just talk us through the match a little bit.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah a tough start, obviously I'm a little bit disappointed because I was expecting myself to go far in this tournament, especially with the clay season starting very well for me.

But that's tennis, I tried to focus on the positive and reflect a lot on this match. First set was good enough for me, second set I didn't have the opportunity to break her during the serve, which made it very difficult for me to stay in the match, but third set obviously it was a lot of momentum, a lot of frustration. But that's tennis and I'll have to accept today that I lost and get back and training and get ready for the grass season.

THE MODERATOR: Start with English questions, please.

Q. Obviously not result you want, but just how did you think about the match and Magda played very well and she has done well before on these sort of stage, so how do you match your own disappointment with just actually how the match went?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I think she really played really good today, especially like the important points where I was kind of making her run everywhere and she was available every time and that made it a little bit difficult for me.

I think if I was able to finish the shot, not say faster, but winning many points that I was supposed to at the beginning, but, you know, it's frustrating because I had my opportunities, especially at 4-3 I think second set. Then not being able to break her serve and not being able to return as good as I wanted, that kind of made it difficult for me.

But I feel like she really played good and didn't give me a lot of options, especially in the second and third set.

Q. Obviously you had such an amazing clay season, obviously this is a big one, but do you still feel in the moment that it may be tough, but still feel proud of what you accomplished in these last couple months?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I'm pretty positive person, to be honest with you, I'm not going to let like a match like this ruin it, but, you know, obviously I was expecting better but maybe it's a good thing for me to reflect good on this match and maybe everything, we say maybe something happens bad because there is something good happening in the future, I don't know, hopefully the grass season, hopefully Wimbledon, I don't know, but, yeah, definitely great time to reflect and to see what's going to happen next.

Q. With Wimbledon they made the decision about the no ranking points. What is your reaction to that news?

ONS JABEUR: Well, losing today doesn't help much, but honestly, it's a very difficult decision, we've been talking a lot with the WTA, I wish they can find a solution, but I don't think anything will change with the no points.

Obviously a lot of players are disappointed. I wish we had points, if I did quarterfinal, for me the main concern is how are they going to keep the last, are they going to keep the last year's points, how are they going to replace them, because it's not fair if we drop all the points without us defending anything, especially some people had finals, semifinals.

So it is very, very tough decision and I don't know, honestly, I'm just going to try to grab as many points as I can in the grass season in the other tournaments.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Good afternoon, I've been able to talk to some of your Tunisian tennis fans, you were welcome and there were a lot of Tunisian fans with a lot of flags and I talked to them afterwards, so what's the message you would like to get across here and also in Tunisia?

ONS JABEUR: Well I feel very lucky to get all that support and they're always there for me whether it be in Paris or in other countries. I know that they might be a bit disappointed, but that's what tennis is like. I know that I get a lot of support and that's what sports is like, that's what tennis is like. I hope I can play better in future tournaments, so that I can make them even prouder.

Q. Just to get back to this loss, there was a lot of hope with the great performance that you've put out over the last weeks, so how can you explain that, the fact that you didn't get as much luck today?

ONS JABEUR: Well, you know, it was tough today. I gave it all and she had her momentum on court, she didn't give me too many options and I felt that she had response to, she had an answer to all my shots and she played very well in the important moments. She played well on serve and I felt that I couldn't pressure her as much as I wanted to.

So I should have been more aggressive in the second and third sets. I had opportunities at 4-3, but it was difficult to close it out when you get a good serve in and you're pressured on your own serve.

So I think she deserves that win today and it was a good match to really think things over and, you know, maybe I'll play better in the next tournaments.

Q. Let's talk about your disappointment and of course there was so many good things and so much hope.

ONS JABEUR: Well, I wanted to go as far as I could in the tournament because I've had a, I played well on clay in Madrid and in Rome, and it's difficult to take that one in. But that's what sport is like and you need to be smart enough to move forward and get back on court. So maybe it was a good thing to lose today. I would rather say this and be really tough with myself than waste all the good energy that I got from Madrid and Rome.

Q. A lot of people cheered you today and you were on center court and because of the previous COVID years it must have been different. Did you feel that this year was a bit different?

ONS JABEUR: Well, honestly, I wasn't happy to play on a Sunday at 11 and playing on Philippe Chatrier that's a very beautiful court and I play, every time that I play there.

So, you know, the fact that I started on a Sunday at 11, you know, I should have, you know, changed my mindset, but I was really happy to see that there were a lot of Tunisian fans, but, yeah, I'm going to try and learn to win on Chatrier.

Q. So how about this image, this favorite status that you had, did it put pressure on your shoulders?

ONS JABEUR: Well, apparently, yes and it was quite obvious today because Magda plays really well and it's really hard to accept that someone who has a, doesn't have a better ranking than you have, well, you know, it's difficult to accept that they play well. She was playing top 20 and she had nothing to lose today.

So I think she deserves that win, as I said, because she played a lot better. I didn't necessarily play a bad match, but, you know, I should have used my experience a little bit more and I should have been a bit more present and try and break her serve or and try and move forward in the second or the third set.

Q. You're taking things step by step and you're trying to be patient.

ONS JABEUR: Of course one needs to be patient in this sport and shouldn't lose hope, because we lose every week. So we need to be able to take these defeats and try to take advantage of this and I'm going to try and keep moving forward, get some rest and we'll see.

Q. There's an academy project, that you're opening an academy?

ONS JABEUR: No, not yet.

Q. What was your feeling getting on court on Philippe Chatrier and, you know, the French people like having lunch and it was not a full stadium.

ONS JABEUR: Well maybe they were having brunch, so maybe it was too early. It was really, really good, I've got quite a peculiar relationship with this court, I like it and I don't like it at the same time.

But it was good to see all these Tunisian fans, I had missed them. I wish I could have won, but it was not the case.