Ons Jabeur , a name every Arab woman will remember throughout their life. She has done something which was never done before. Reaching such a big stage and also coming from a country where tennis is not so popular is already a huge achievement. Her hard work and determination made everyone proud and inspired many to take up this sport.
Before looking at her career in detail. Let's first see her profile first.
● Age:26
● Right handed
● Started at the age of 5 years
● Current rankings: 23
● Career high rankings: 23
● Overall 73% win rate( Wins 33, 12 Losses)
Reaching the quarter finals of the Wimbledon is a mark of Jabeur's incredible progress and it came just two weeks after she became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title in Birmingham in June.
Jabeur has hardly benefitted from the kind of big bang breakthrough enjoyed by 18 year old Emma Raducanu. In a sport that places equal demands on a player's technical, physical and mental abilities every time they take to court.
Now 26 and hailing from a small town in Tunisia - a nation hardly known for laying a smooth path towards international tennis success. Jabeur's tennis growth has been a slow burn, breaking down barriers and ticking off new milestones along the way.
Back in 2017, with her ranking outside the top 100, Jabeur was selected along with 11 others to receive a $50,000 Grand Slam Grant Player Grant financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund.
Her talent and application was clear as day and it was hoped that the financial boost would allow her to truly make her mark in the professional game. Up to that point four years ago, she had contested just two Grand Slam events- resulting in first round defeats at the 2014 US Open and 2015 Australian Open.
Buoyed by the cash injection which freed her of the worries of the cost of traveling, coaching and financing her tennis development, Jabeur promptly enjoyed a career best run to the third round at 2017 Roland Garros. Her upward trajectory has continued ever since.
As well as the $50,000 Player Grant to help take her tennis to the next level. Jabeur also received support from the Grand Slam Development Fund on a number of occasions earlier in her tennis career.
After crashing out from Wimbledon , she did not forget to mention the Player Grant for which she achieved so much in her career. She urged that everyone who is facing financial troubles should get such benefits and boost their careers like her. Her stunning display in the third round and the way she defeated the Roland Garros champion was simply awestruck and caught everyone's attention.
She was a part of the ITF/GSDF African 14 and Under Team to Europe in 2008 and received four grants to play junior events through 2009-2011 and another to play women's circuit events in 2013.
Jabeur's story underlines the worth of a programme that has contributed over $55 million to tennis development since its inception in 1986. The twenty nine players from 22 countries who are part of the latest crop of Grand Slam Player Grant Recipients would do well to follow her lead.
