ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2024

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/C. Tauson

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Ons, into the quarterfinals. You must be pleased with your results. Can you just talk us through your thoughts on today's match.

ONS JABEUR: I think it was a decent match. I just tried to play a little bit my game and tried to move her as much as I can, and I think it was a good one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I wanted to ask about your movement, actually. Obviously, you've had your physical issues this year, but it seems like you're moving really well. I'm curious, just how has that been?

ONS JABEUR: (Knocking on wood.) In case.

Yeah, it was obviously a difficult beginning of the year, but it's expected with the hard court. It's a bit tougher on my knee. I did a lot of treatment, a lot of rehab. I think, yeah, the clay definitely suits me much better and helps me, you know, to move better, but I think, you know, six months of not playing really well did help a lot. In my mind it's two years.

Q. You just said that you felt like you are not playing this well in the past two years. Then you came back on this level in the quarterfinal of the tournament. Can you express how much you are happy or excited or maybe you are calm and you have to prepare because you have to prepare for next match.

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, obviously, I'm very happy with the way I'm playing right now. To be honest with you, I've been practicing really well since the beginning of the year. Maybe not losing any, like, match practice sets or anything, but yeah, during the matches was not that great.

So it was a bit frustrating at the beginning, but I think the hard work is paying off. I just had to be patient and be ready for moments like this, for moments to be in a quarterfinal on a Grand Slam.

Q. I just wondered, do you listen to music to get yourself pumped up before matches?

ONS JABEUR: I do actually a lot of things. Music is -- I love listening to music. Different ones, you know.

Q. What do you listen to?

ONS JABEUR: I'm very weird. It depends my mood. Sometimes I actually go to classic to Linkin Park to Sade to Eminem. It's completely crazy. It depends with the mood. It depends what I need. Sometimes I really need to get pumped, and sometimes I'm a little bit stressed so I need some romantic songs.

Yeah, most of the time I just try to do the routine of my breathing and the activation of my body and then get ready for the matches.

Q. What romantic songs are we talking here?

ONS JABEUR: Sade is very romantic, and there is a very famous song in French here called "Je T'aime." I don't know if you know it.

Q. I do.

ONS JABEUR: I love you, like yeah. Don't tell my husband.

Q. Speaking about music, during the post-match interview, you were singing a Tunisian song. Can you please explain that to us, the lyrics.

ONS JABEUR: I'm regretting now (laughing). I don't know. I felt like the crowd was singing the whole match. I felt like singing with them.

I think most Tunisians know this song. It's, like, it's incredible, it's step by step to the final. Something like this. It's a mix of I think Arabic, French, and Italian.

Q. Obviously, the match last night played until 3:00 a.m. Just curious what do you feel about the prospect of playing in the early hours of the morning?

ONS JABEUR: If it had been woman's match, it would have been finished early (laughing).

I think it's really unhealthy. As part of the PTPA we talked about this a lot of times to not start matches very late.

But, you know, when you have the match before playing five sets and then Novak starting late, I think it's really unhealthy. I hope Novak is recovering really well for the next one.

But yeah, we are trying to push to have a better scheduling. But, you know, when you have long matches sometimes you don't know. Obviously with the prime matches is also more difficult.

I feel like 8:15 is really late to start the match, so yeah.

Q. Just wondered what you made of your opponent today, kind of the challenges she posed and kind of, yeah, how you think she's developing.

ONS JABEUR: I think she's really a great player. Maybe people expected her to play and be better ranked. I played her once in the Billie Jean Cup years ago. I think she hits the ball really well, really hard. She has a good serve, but today I was trying not to really bother her with my slices and kind of play the whole court.

I think it really worked really well because at certain times she didn't know where to move exactly.

Q. Just on your next opponent, Coco, what do you think about her in general? What has it been like seeing her kind of grow up over the last four years?

ONS JABEUR: I love how Coco plays, and I love how Coco talks in general. I think she's really mature for her age. She's really an amazing person as well.

It's going to be definitely a difficult match. She's such a fighter, you know, on the court. I hope I can play good and I can play my game because I know I can bother her as well.

But it's going to be definitely a great fight between us.

Q. You said that Naomi and Iga's match should have been in the night match on center court, and unfortunately that match was not full. But today, like your match, a lot of people are very excited about the match and atmosphere is great. Can you compare or do you have any favorite court in this tournament, like Chatrier or Lenglen or Simonne Mathieu?

ONS JABEUR: From my experience I think it's not people they don't want to watch me or anything, but I feel like the access to the Lenglen court is easier. Tunisians can find tickets easier there for some reason. I don't know how they sell the tickets or anything.

In Chatrier, I know there were a lot of Tunisians. They wanted to come to watch my match, the first one, or actually last year the quarterfinal.

Yeah, the stadium -- people think they don't want to come and watch us, but actually people didn't have the chance to get in the court.

Accessibility-wise I would prefer to play on Suzanne Lenglen because I see more Tunisians and they have access, but I hope they can find the solution for people to access the Philippe Chatrier court.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Now, you have reached quarterfinals for the second time here at Roland Garros. There we go, confirmation. How would you compare how good you feel today compared to your form last year when you reached the quarterfinals for the very first time?

ONS JABEUR: Physically I feel a lot better today, and I had more time to prepare. Last year I was injured, so I didn't have enough time. I didn't think I would be ready for Roland, but this year I think that I really have this desire to play. I have a strong will.

I'm here. I know what to do exactly, and I think that in terms of maturity, I'm more mature than I was last year. Of course, I have more experience. So I'll prepare myself differently for the quarterfinals because I learned from the lessons I learned last year.

Q. It's more or less the same question, but this time in French. You're talking about the Tunisian crowd on the Lenglen. In Roland Garros do you think you have more support than anywhere else from the Tunisian crowd or audience?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, here and also at Wimbledon because here in Paris I think there's a big Tunisian community. They're here, and this helps me, of course, to be playing here in Paris.

I feel at home. Even in the streets I meet a lot of Tunisians, and it really helps. I would have liked them to have easier access to the Philippe Chatrier court, so opening the doors for the Tunisians to the quarterfinals.

Q. The beginning of the year was tough for you. I don't know if you are reaching your best level in the year, but it's at the right moment. A very good match against Leylah. Would you say that you are back to your best level? What about gaining more strength physically and gaining confidence?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, it was a bit difficult because of the injury that I suffered from. More mentally than physically, by the way, because I was here, I was really practicing a lot. You can't even think about what I did.

I was doing incredible shots. I was winning almost all the practice sets against other players, but then during the matches, it was more difficult for me. So I had to be more patient, and gaining confidence is something that takes time because you will gain confidence when you gain more matches.

And, of course, I work, when I'm not practicing, when I'm not playing, with my mental coach, but it's not easy because a match can turn things around and can have a very big effect on me.

But I'm very happy because I was more patient this time because I think it was good in Madrid. Not that good in Rome, but here in Roland Garros I'm going uphill. That's really good. I believe in it, and I'm more patient.

Q. Do you think you're ready now to fight against Coco Gauff and defeat her?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, surely. I'm ready. I have to believe in myself even more, and I have a lot of skills. I can bother her. It's not going to be easy to win the match, but tactically I'll be discussing with my coach, and we'll be ready. We'll prepare.

Physically and mentally we'll continue and do the same and get ready for this big match.

Q. Now, if things go wrong against Coco, do you want to become a singer because we heard you sing on the Lenglen?

ONS JABEUR: I sang, and it didn't rain, so maybe I'll be a singer.