THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2022

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/T. Maria

6-2, 3-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Ons, Wimbledon finalist. How does that feel?

ONS JABEUR: Whew, feels amazing really. The kind of result I was hoping for. Now one more match, one more step, to continue and hopefully get the title.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A while ago, after a win, you said: For me it's not Tunisia anymore. It's all about the Arab countries and the African continent. Talk about that, what kind of impact this has on girls and boys.

ONS JABEUR: Well, it's always about Tunisia somehow. I want to go bigger, inspire many more generation. Tunisia is connected to the Arab world, is connected to the African continent. The area, we want to see more players. It's not like Europe or any other countries. I want to see more players from my country, from the Middle East, from Africa.

I think we didn't believe enough at certain point that we can do it. Now I'm just trying to show that. Hopefully people are getting inspired.

Q. It is a holiday on Saturday. How much more special do you think that will make it, hopefully be able to drive up viewership numbers?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I mean, if I make it on that special holiday, one of my favorite actually, it's going to be great. I always miss it. I always want to be with the family. It always reminds me like a child. I was having a great moment with my family that day. It's like Christmas for you guys. It's like similar for us.

It's going to be special celebration maybe after, having my own barbecue maybe. We'll have to enjoy it and hopefully we'll enjoy it in positive vibes.

Q. You seem like a very easygoing person. How would you like to describe yourself if you were asked to describe yourself as a person?

ONS JABEUR: Not that easy. Sometimes I'm picky, you know (smiling).

But I like to enjoy life, enjoy everything around me. I have the job that I want to do. Kind of playing tennis is always amazing. Being on a tennis court is always amazing.

Sometimes I get picky on food and other stuff, otherwise I can say I'm easygoing (smiling).

Q. This nickname you earned yourself in Tunisia, the Minister of Happiness, do you feel that? You are literally everywhere in your home country at the moment.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I mean, it's nice of them to call me that. It's really unbelievable. Maybe they're thinking about having a minister of happiness. It's funny because the actual minister calls me, Hello, Minister. It's funny.

It's tough times in Tunisia sometimes. When they see my matches, always say sports always unites people. I'm happy they follow me. They're pushing me to do better. Hopefully I can keep the title forever.

Q. Today is a historic day in the United Kingdom. Our prime minister resigned. The man who wants to replace him, the leader of the opposition, was here in the Royal Box watching you. Do you think he made the right decision?

ONS JABEUR: I have no idea. I'm the Minister of Happiness (laughter).

I hope it's good for you guys. I don't know what's happening really. I can see that people are happy he resigned. I hope this one will do a much better job (smiling).

Q. What are your earliest memories of seeing the Wimbledon championship, the trophy? How did the dream of winning it yourself evolve?

ONS JABEUR: Not to lie to you, the dream kind of started last year when I enjoyed playing here, enjoyed the crowd. I didn't play so many Wimbledons before. Usually it was the first and second round. It's tricky to play on grass.

I knew I was playing good on grass because of my game and everything. But last year, Melanie reminded me, my mental coach, I told her like, I'm coming back next year for the title, when I lost in the quarterfinals.

I just love everything around here, the atmosphere and everything. It was my main goal from the beginning of the season, and even from last year.

I just love it here. I don't know. Everything about the energy, I just love being here.

Q. What was your mental coach's reply when you said that?

ONS JABEUR: She was like, You will. She always believes in me. She knows that if I put something in my mind, I do it.

I'm one step away from achieving it. I hope it's going to happen.

Q. I'm sure the victory felt amazing. I wonder how it felt on the flip side to beat your best mate, how it feels as a human to embrace her at the end, took her out onto the court.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, she deserves a lot of respect, Tatjana, her making the first time semifinal, the way she plays, the way she fights. If I didn't see her two kids, I would say she never had the kids.

It's amazing how she moves on the court. It's really inspiring for a lot of women. When you're focused, when you play tennis, I'm focused on myself, to be honest with you. For me, after all, it's just a tennis match. We didn't go to war or anything.

It was amazing, great. I have a lot of respect for her. If she won today, she would have deserved it 100%.

That's what I love about tennis: it's just a tennis match, then you move on and get to the next one.

Q. When will you see her again?

ONS JABEUR: She has to make a barbecue party for me, so I don't know. Maybe at her house in West Palm Beach (smiling).

Q. Like a minister, do you think you are showing a new way to play tennis for women's tennis, a new way to be a better show, different audience? There are not so many players like you and Maria who play this way. Do you think this is the right way?

ONS JABEUR: Maybe it's coming back. They used to play a lot of slices before, serve and volley. I don't do that much. I like to see the different style. It was very tough to adapt to that game, to that changing rhythm.

But I know it annoys a lot of people, and I'm happy to do that.

Q. As our official Minister of Happiness...

ONS JABEUR: I'm the official of every country?

Q. Yes.

ONS JABEUR: That's cool (laughter).

Q. What are the one or two things that are most important to be happy on the tour, to thrive?

ONS JABEUR: One of the things, obviously never give up, and believe always that you can do it. And be surrounded by the great people. I have a great team behind me. They always supported me. Even though sometimes - I'm not going to lie to you - I maybe thought I was never going to make it or never going to make a Grand Slam title or a Grand Slam final.

Overall I try to enjoy playing tennis because it's tough to do it sometimes when you play every week, when maybe you lose every week. It's really tough.

But for me, I had to remind myself why did I start playing tennis, what kind of joy that tennis brings to me. As soon as I remind myself that, I get pumped, motivated to go, and play my next matches.

Q. Two things. What is the name of the holiday on Saturday? Could you give us your thoughts on who you might play in the final.

ONS JABEUR: It's Eid. This is the bigger one, we say, where we eat meat and celebrate with our family. It's really about barbecue this time, I'm not joking (smiling). (Indiscernible) end up getting money. From the altar they give me some money.

For my next opponent, both great players. Different style. Simona knows how to win here. She already won Wimbledon before. I'm not sure the score, but I saw she was losing a little bit.

Q. 6-3, 4-2 for Rybakina.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, Rybakina is an aggressive player. If you give her little bit of time, she will take that away. We played a lot of times before.

I think she can play really good on grass because aggressive and changing the rhythm, they're both styles I believe that is the most impressive on grass.

If it's going to be Rybakina, it's going to be an interesting match, but I'll try to make her work hard to earn her points.

Q. You said you are hoping to inspire people. Who has inspired you, not just in tennis, outside tennis, in your life?

ONS JABEUR: My mom, to start with. She's the one that introduced me to the sport, always pushed me to do better, made me believe even more in myself.

I loved watching Kim Clijsters before. Serena Williams, Venus. Andy Roddick, a huge fan of him. I'm still trying to learn about tennis history. I met Billie Jean King. She's an amazing inspiration for all of us. Really happy that she's giving me some tips and pushing me to do better.

Q. I'm sorry to be the one, but what is your favorite barbecue dish?

ONS JABEUR: I love honestly everything. Mostly -- ask Tatjana, she makes it good (laughter).

I just like beef. I'm not vegan. I love beef. Sorry (smiling).

Q. You mentioned tips from Billie Jean King there. Could you share anything she said to you that has particularly resonated or meant a lot?

ONS JABEUR: I met her first time last year in Indian Wells when she signed her book and gave it to me. She told me to watch a lot of my matches, which I don't usually do, because I don't like seeing myself lose again, and learn from that. I try to improve on that.

Always she tells me one ball at a time and focus on that. That's what she was telling me lately. So I'm trying to do that. I always remember her during the match actually when the score is like I'm behind or something like that.

THE MODERATOR: We won't be coming back for preview media tomorrow. We've got some extra time if anybody has any more questions they would like.

Q. About Elena, what are your thoughts on the difficulties of her serve and her height pose when you face her?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, she serves really well, so my main goal is to return as much balls as I can, to make her really work hard to win the point.

Yeah, played her a couple of times. I know she can hit really hard and hit a lot of winners. I know that my game could really bother her. I really try to focus more on myself, do a lot of slices, try to really make her work hard.

I know that type of players usually win the point in two, three shots. For me, I'm just going to continue and do what I do on the court.

Q. You're a player who expresses herself a lot on court.

ONS JABEUR: She doesn't.

Q. She's very calm on court. Is that at all a challenge playing an opponent who never shows any sort of emotion or weakness or gives you any sign of how they're feeling?

ONS JABEUR: Maybe better. Not someone who screams a lot every point, C'mon.

I respect that about her. I know she's a very shy person even outside the court. Maybe I'll be the one screaming tomorrow.

Q. If you would, could you talk about your very early development. As I recall you started at home but had to go to a club. Got a big grant from the ITF. Did really well at Roland Garros juniors. Talk about those early years and how did you emerge?

ONS JABEUR: I started playing tennis in a small club in Tunisia, playing just national tournaments. Then at the age of 10 I started my first international tournament in Paris. It was actually quite good results.

Then at the age of 13 I decided to go to the capital in Tunis to study, train at the same time. It was a high school, like sports high school. That helped me really train more and become, let's say, a better player.

The junior title came French Open. Then I struggled a lot with moving from juniors to pro with injuries, with not knowing how really to play with my game.

But then, yeah, I practiced a few months in Belgium. I went also a few months in Paris. But I always came back to Tunis because I love my country, I love being there. I had different coaches.

Since I think 2019, '20, everything clicked for me. It was much, much better, then I'm here.

Q. When you were 10, did you think about winning a slam, or was that too farfetched?

ONS JABEUR: I was telling them I want to win the French Open at the age of nine. Everybody laughed at me. When I won in juniors, it was like, Okay, this is just the beginning, but I want the real title.

Q. How long have you had a mental coach? Can you be as specific as you want as to what you do with her?

ONS JABEUR: I always had a mental coach. With Melanie we started end of 2016, but I had before because I always believed that mental coaching is very important in our sport.

We do a lot of breathing, a lot of meditation, a lot of manifesting, seeing what I can do. I talk a lot about it's nice to get out all the feelings, all the stress. It's very important.

For someone that couldn't handle a lot of stress before, I'm trying to get used to it. Most important thing is accepting it. What we are living is a very tough sport. She always tell me, What a life you chose for yourself.

I know that I was meant to be a tennis player always. Very proud of it. Yeah, just mostly what we do with Melanie.

Q. You mentioned manifesting. I think you said: A bad thing happens because great things come in. In your head have you envisaged winning Wimbledon, feel like you're going to be a winner here?

ONS JABEUR: I did a lot of times imagine myself giving the good speech, holding the trophy, seeing the trophy.

I did all of it. Now I need really to hold the trophy. That's the only thing left for me. But I believe in that. I know that I can do it.

One of the things that I hate is disappoint myself. I hope I will not do that. I'm all the way there. There is one match left, so hopefully I'll give it all.

Q. You are very sensitive, you say a lot of things which we are surprised about. Do you write something? Do you have a diary? Do you do some painting or arts in particular? Because you look like someone who has something else inside to say.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, what you see on the court usually is completely different, a player.

I am emotional player. You can see that on the court, as well.

No, I don't write. I try to write from time to time actually. I wrote so many things usually after disappointments or encouraging myself to do better for the match.

That's usually what I do. But I try to talk a lot because I'm not someone that really likes to talk about my feelings, but I'm learning to do that with Melanie.

Q. Elena won in straight sets. Guaranteed to be a new name on the trophy Saturday. What would it mean to you if it was your name?

ONS JABEUR: I was hoping for them to play for five hours (smiling).

It would mean a lot. Elena plays really good. It's going to be a very tough match, completely different style. But I will be ready to do my part. Hopefully they will write my name on the board there before we enter the Centre Court.

Q. What does it say about women's tennis that you have not been past the quarters in a slam until now, and Elena hasn't either? What does that say with the women's game?

ONS JABEUR: I'll say we are learning to do that. We did learn the good way. I know Elena was playing really good on other tournaments.

We both may be waiting for that click to go further. Everybody knows Elena, knows how she plays really good. I think most of people tell me that you can win a Grand Slam, but never happens.

Amazing for the sport. Amazing for both of us. We like new faces, so we're bringing new faces to you.

Q. It's also a person who is representing Kazakhstan, a person representing Tunisia. What were your thoughts about this new flavor for the Wimbledon final?

ONS JABEUR: I think no one from Kazakhstan won before, right?

Q. Right.

ONS JABEUR: I'm really happy for her, really happy that she's representing well her country. I'm doing the same in a different way.

But it's amazing to really inspire the new generation. Just to show that nothing is impossible really.