MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 29, 2024

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/J. Ostapenko

6-0, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How did that feel, Ons? She's tricky because first set was completely different to the second set. How did you deal with it all?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, it's a tricky match, definitely. You guys don't know, but I practiced with her and she kicked my ass a couple of days ago. So I was coming to this match and I was, like, Okay, I'm going to try to jump everywhere and just put the ball in. Definitely the key here is to accept that she's going to play winners anytime she wants to.

After winning that first set, I knew that the level is going to change for sure, you know, so getting ready and, yeah, very pleased with the way I played and definitely how I handled the end of the match.

Q. How do you feel to win three matches in a row? Have been a lot of months that that never happen.

ONS JABEUR: What a great feeling, huh (smiling)? You miss it sometimes, but yeah, I mean, I'm very proud that I stayed patient, because the level of the training that I have been having since Miami is unbelievable. I basically wasn't losing any, like, practice sets. I was playing amazing and just wasn't there.

But I'm glad that I kept believing in myself and kept saying it's going to come one day or another. Yeah, very pleased with the level that I'm playing. It's not like I'm playing bad and winning ugly. So I hope I can continue in this level, and I hope I can keep having joy and fun on the court.

Q. Jelena can be a tricky character to play. I think there was a moment where she celebrated towards your box and made the handshake a little bit brief. Did you notice that? And is it kind of difficult to block that out while you're playing?

ONS JABEUR: Listen, everybody has a different character on the court. Everybody knows Jelena. I think she always tells me the demons in her head comes out during the match, so I completely understand. I was really pumped, and definitely everybody has their own thing on the court (smiling).

Probably my box wasn't that easy too cheering for me, which I personally enjoy. Maybe she said some bad words to them, but I think they can handle it. They're grownups.

Yeah, it is what it is. It's out of my control. It's her own thing. But I'm glad that I really got the win and really stayed pumped until the end of the day.

Q. You obviously had two tight wins in the prior rounds. How important was it, even if it wasn't your best tennis and wasn't always perfect, to just survive and fight through and build momentum in that way?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I mean, the second set, you know, when you play against her, sometimes you just give her a little bit of space. She tries to go in and hit winners, which is her game.

Again, the key for me was to accept that kind of game. Sometimes I know I got a little bit tight, because I know if I give her, like, the small space, she's going to go in and hit, like, amazing shots.

But I'm happy that I really stayed focused, especially in the second set, and got the win and served for the match.

Did you watch my documentary? Waiting for your thoughts.

Q. I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I saw Challengers, which you should see. So as your belief was sort of maybe wavering a little bit the last few months or maybe it wasn't wavering at all, were things mainly physical or mental, or how did they play with each other? Your struggles with some injuries over the last year, how did that work into your thinking? And how much of your great training since Miami and your great form is just being healthy again?

ONS JABEUR: I think there is a mix of a lot of things mentally and physically. Obviously I wasn't really aware how such an injury in the knee could affect my mental, because, you know, I was thinking that I was moving well and putting, like, the weight, for example, on my right knee, but it was actually really bothering me. I couldn't go fully. But in my mind I thought I was going fully. That thing really affects you when you play and try to not stress and put that much pressure on the knee.

But yeah, it did actually affect me, affect my confidence in Indian Wells, Miami, and definitely went into Charleston, as well.

What's tricky actually with the knee, as well, is some days I feel really good and some days it can be really painful. So it was, yeah, like up and down. Sometimes in the tense moment maybe I don't go fully on it.

So, yeah, I kept practicing, kept working hard, doing a lot of exercises. If you know the rehab thing right now is really to strengthen the glutes and the quads and nothing much you can do about it.

So, yeah, that's what I kept doing. I kept working hard, believing, and tricky match since Charleston and Stuttgart. For now I feel really much better physically. That really helps the mental.

Q. About the documentary, they make you watch the Wimbledon final. I'm wondering, was that purely just the idea of the producers? Was that something you were willing to do? Did they really push you? Was there anything positive that came out of that?

ONS JABEUR: I don't know what's the positive. I really want to kill Matt for making me watch that (smiling).

He kept, like, telling me, like, slowly, you know, I think it's good that you watch. What do you think? I don't want to push you. But he was pushing me a little bit.

Then I was, like, Okay, just for you. He kept, like, forwarding. I was, like, Please, please, I know what's going to happen. I don't want to see it again.

I usually hate watching myself in general, you know, and especially that final.

I was, like, Okay, keep it together. Just go through with the match. And then at the end, honestly, I cannot -- it is very, very difficult to do it.

I think the drama in it he wants to catch that part of me not wanting to watch it. It was, like, Okay, good job. You got the scene. Let's move on (smiling).

Q. Your next opponent, either Coco or Maddie. Coco, you played her six times, I think.

ONS JABEUR: She probably won six times or five times.

Q. Four. Just wondering, how different would it be playing her on clay? I think you played her once.

ONS JABEUR: Played her once.

Q. Just how do you see her evolution as a player, especially that you have played her in different parts of her career?

ONS JABEUR: I think Coco plays unbelievable. You know, she's a tricky opponent. She's such a fighter, as well. Doesn't give any, like, free points. So it's going to be definitely a difficult match if we play each other.

We all know each other on the court and off the court, what we like, what we don't like. Yeah, I'm going to, again, focus on myself, be ready, enjoy every point that I can play on this court healthy. It's I think maybe the most important thing for me right now.

Maddie, completely different player on the court. I think she plays unbelievable. I think I need to have my feet grounded, because she hits really hard, and sometimes, you know, you stay unbalanced. So I hope they play for four hours and get tired and not be ready for tomorrow. The usual (smiling).

Q. With Caitlin Clark, the WNBA, a lot of talk about how much money female athletes are making. They're looking at tennis, and, Oh, they're doing well. I wonder if you feel it's been taken for granted the way tennis has led the way for female sports?

ONS JABEUR: You spoke too fast, and I think I understood, like, half of it. You're talking about women's basketball, right? Okay.

Q. I can do it again if you want.

ONS JABEUR: That's okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, I feel like definitely tennis is one of the sports that I'm proud to play in as a woman. I feel like we have a long way, especially here in Madrid and in Rome, in Europe in general. I feel like they need to respect women more and they need to respect how we are playing.

Some things we feel it, and yeah, in maybe like a lot of things in practices, the way they treat women here and men, they're completely different. Maybe people from outside, they don't see it.

Yeah, I'm definitely one of the people that I want to speak up. I really enjoy watching woman's tennis, enjoy watching woman's sports in general. I think we deserve better. It's not like we are not doing any effort and we are asking for more what we deserve, for sure.

Q. You're still an investor in NC Courage, or no?

ONS JABEUR: Yes, as long as I know. They didn't kick me out or anything?

Q. Having made that move, investing in women's sport, but it's in America, and I'm curious if you have any ideas of trying to invest in women's sports or if you have ideas to push women's sports in the Middle East and North Africa?

ONS JABEUR: I'm definitely open for more ideas. I want to push woman's sports in general. I feel like maybe people don't know, but in Europe you can do a lot more better than it's actually happening. Definitely in the Middle East, but I feel like in the Middle East are more invested in helping women do a lot more things.

So I don't have any ideas yet, but I am very open for it.

Q. I understand what you're saying about you still have a long way, but I don't know if you saw Caitlin Clark, who is the biggest story in the college basketball in this last season, the money she's making is even less than what you would make losing in a tournament somewhere in the first round.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah.

Q. Did any of that shock you if you have seen these kind of numbers? And what can other women's sports do, or what do you think tennis has done that other women's sports have not done?

ONS JABEUR: I think women's tennis has come a long way. Very grateful for Billie Jean King and all the other women that fought hard, Serena, Maria, all of them. They're trying to represent, you know, very well the sport. I think a lot of women players needs to be aware of it and aware what's really happening.

Sometimes I don't really think that it's just a question of money, but also respect, because sometimes I just, you know, and I say it again and I told you so many times that people would judge women's tennis without even watching one match. That pisses me off a lot.

For me, you cannot judge a basketball match, women's match, because it's just a woman playing. I feel like we are sometimes programmed. You know, you open, Okay, let's watch football.

What kind of football? Is it man football? Is it women football?

Even us, I grew up just opening the TV, like Okay, let's go watch football, Ronaldo, this, this, and that.

First, we don't have the opportunity to watch a lot of women's sports in general, which it's changing right now, but I think we are 2024, we need more than that. I want to open the TV and not just see Women's World Cup. Men's World Cup, can I call it Men's World Cup, as well? These things, it's small details that makes the difference.

I feel as a woman playing, for me inspiring a whole new generation, for example, here in Spain, I would love to go to the hotel and open the TV and see a woman's tennis match. I haven't seen once one tennis match of woman. All they're showing -- obviously I understand there is a lot of Spanish playing, but asking for one match? Even the female Spanish they are not even showing.

For me it's really frustrating to see that. How can you inspire young girls without showing any match in that? Then they say, Okay, men's tennis is better.

Q. Can I ask you about your game on clay versus on grass? You have had success on both, but when you think of yourself and the tools that you have, which area sort of provides the best opportunities for you?

ONS JABEUR: Both really amazing. And for me it's a completely different game. A lot of patience in clay. I enjoy it, especially when I feel good physically on the court, I feel like I have time to think and everything.

For the grass, it goes really fast, but I also like it because sometimes with the dropshot, with the slices, it could really bother a lot of people.

I think the combination of both the fact that clay comes before grass really helps me, because having a lot of matches on clay really helps me physically to be ready for the grass.

Again, like, I'm such a huge football fan, so it's like when I play on grass it's like playing on a really huge football field, soccer.

(Questions in French.)