QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 9, 2025

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Ons Jabeur. Ons, welcome back to Doha. Can you just give us your thoughts about playing the tournament this year in 2025.

ONS JABEUR: Thank you. Looking forward like every year, very happy to be back to my home, it's a tournament that is very close to my heart, and I hope I can do great this year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Welcome back.

ONS JABEUR: Thank you.

Q. Which are your sensations, your feelings, after five months of stop, and you played generally pretty good, you won many matches, you lost some tough match, do you think you are better, feel better than one year ago?

ONS JABEUR: Definitely more refreshed than one year ago. Injury-wise, I am much better, and looking forward to play this season. Comparing to last year, I think I was pretty tired, and I have couple injuries that didn't help me perform well, but this year is a new year, and definitely a better me, on and off the court, so I'm really looking forward to play here.

I played amazing matches before, and I'm pretty happy with my level, and I know the level could be better.

Q. There's a sizeable Tunisian population here in Doha, and you said this tournament is pretty close to your heart, what support are you anticipating, and especially as a representative of the Arab world as well in this tennis circuit?

ONS JABEUR: This tournament, I would say, was only and one of the tournament that have supported me since I was young, and gave me wild cards when I needed them. They didn't care if I didn't have any ranking or I was in top 10, and I'm very grateful for that. I hope I'm a pretty loyal person, (laughing), so I'm very happy to come back here.

The people are unbelievable, the hospitality is always great, and I do feel like they love me first before the player that I am, and they have supported my journey. Yeah, I feel pretty grateful to be back, hopefully win some matches and have the crowd come back to support me. It is very important to me to play good here, to win, and to inspire, you know, the younger generation from my country, from the Arab countries. Yeah, this is, honestly, one of the most important tournaments, and I would trade this tournament for any of my other titles.

Q. In Australia, Madison Keys won the major Grand Slam tournament, and she is kind of similar generation to yours, and she has been also going through some tough moment, so I was wondering how you see her achievement.

ONS JABEUR: She's younger, but it's okay. Who is counting? (Laughing).

Yeah, I mean, obviously every player has their own path, and she inspired us all when she won her first Grand Slam, and I wish her all the best. Everybody knows Madison play unbelievable tennis, and she truly deserved that Australian Open.

Yeah, I mean, everybody creates their own story. I feel like I'm going to discover more in my path and see what's going to happen. I tried my best to win my first Grand Slam, it hasn't come yet, but hopefully it will come soon, or when it's supposed to come, but I know that I'm doing everything in my power to be there. If not, then I'll have a baby and make her win the first Grand Slam (laughing).

Q. You always gave the impression to have fun on the court, and after many years on the court is still seems the same, you have fun when you play.

ONS JABEUR: Sorry, I didn't understand the question.

Q. You always gave the impression to have fun when you play tennis.

ONS JABEUR: I mean, some days are better than others, let's put it that way, but, yes, I try to enjoy as much as I can. That's why, one of the reason I took some time off last year, because I wasn't enjoying much playing, it was a lot of pressure and a lot of pain and injuries that didn't help me be myself on the court. I'm pretty proud of myself to take a step back and enjoy more time outside the court to find that joy again and the pleasure on the court.

Q. Do you know Mattia Bellucci, the last Italian sensation, that is another very fine player with many tricks on his game?

ONS JABEUR: Bellucci? Yeah, I think I know Bellucci. He plays doubles now, no?

Q. No, he beat Medvedev and Tsitsipas in Rotterdam.

ONS JABEUR: Yes, yes, but he was more playing doubles and now back to singles. Yes, I think he, if I'm not mistaken, I think he came and won the tournament in Tunis before, a challenger, so that's how I start knowing him before, yeah.

Q. You just talk about that, you know, enjoying, and took off the tour because of the mental things. Recently many female players are talking about mental health, and also Madison she talk about that, that she talked to psychiatrist or like a therapy, to find herself and things. How important is it for you to find that kind of like peaceful in your mind, or that balance of staying away from tour and enjoying the tour?

ONS JABEUR: For me I think from day one, even when I was 12 or 13, the mental health was the most important thing for me, because a healthy mind is a healthy body. I do believe that, yes, we do practice tennis, and we do play a lot, but a lot of injuries is like our body is screaming for help, you know, it's the only way that the body can communicate with us, so a lot of injuries are connected to emotional part. Yeah, it is very important to take care of that part.

Tennis is such a beautiful sport, but it's not our life. You know, we play, what, 15 years of our life tennis, and the rest of it we move on to another chapter, either some players decide to stay or have their own family or anything. So, I think we need to set our priorities and not give so much importance to, you know, titles, Grand Slams, wins. I refuse to let win or loss decide my life, you know. I try to take care of that, it's easier said than done, but for me it's very important to keep the priorities straight, it's very important to take care of your health, because, for me, if you ask me to be happy, or sad and win all Grand Slams, I prefer to be happy, you know.