Ons Jebeur has become the most sensational tennis player in this year’s Wimbledon Championship, where she created several records by becoming the first Arab and African woman to reach the women’s singles final of a Grand Slam. Though she was unlucky to not win the title and meekly surrendered in the final, her journey in the competition dominated social media conversations.
Jabeur, whose meteoric rise in world tennis has impressed her peers and legends alike, had shared a moving story after she became the first Arab player to reach the semi-final of any Grand Slam at SW19 last week.
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Recalling her conversation with former four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Hicham Arazi, Jabeur had said, “I was talking a little bit to Hicham Arazi, and he told me, ‘Arabs always lose in the quarterfinals and we are sick of it. Please break this.’ I was, like, ‘I’ll try, my friend,’ … We were just texting, and he was really happy. He was, like, ‘Thank you for finally making the semifinal. Now you can really go and get the title’.”
Jabeur has been in impeccable form. Speaking after her semi-final victory, Jabeur had said how she had been nicknamed the ‘Minister of Happiness’ back in Tunisia.
Prior to reaching the Wimbledon final, Jabeur had already become the first Arab woman to win a WTA singles title, win a WTA 1,000 event (the biggest tournaments outside a Grand Slam) and break into the top 10 of the world rankings.
Who Is Ons Jabeur?
27-year-old Jabeur was born to parents, Samira and Ridha Jabeur, in Ksar Hellal, a small town in Tunisia, on 28 August 1994. She has two brothers, Hatem and Marwen, and an older sister, Yasmine.
Jabeur is 5’6″ tall and is married to
Religion
Jabeur has publicly spoken about her faith and said that she is a practicing Muslim. Speaking about her Wimbledon final, she had said that a victory today will be special since this also happens to be Eid-al-Adha, the second biggest festival for Muslims.
“If I make it on that special holiday, one of my favourites actually, it’s going to be great,” she was quoted by the BBC as saying. She added, “It’s going to be a special celebration maybe after, having my own barbecue maybe. We’ll have to enjoy it and hopefully we’ll enjoy it in positive vibes.”
Jabeur is married to Karim Kamoun, a Russian-Tunisian fencer from the past. The couple has been married since 2015. Kamoun also works as Jabeur’s coach and trainer. On Saturday, both of them looked emotional as they hugged each other before the start of the final.
In 2017, Jabeur was asked on balancing her faith with the sport. On being asked about how she manages to observe Ramadan fasts, Jabeur had said, “It’s hard to think about Ramadan. I mean, I can’t not eat or drink … obviously I cannot do 30 days in a row. But I just have to do it before the next Ramadan, for sure.”
Net Worth
Ons Jabeur is currently ranked 2 in the world with her net worth being estimated to be between $2 and $2.5 million. However, she is set to win $1.5 million in prize money by being a Wimbledon finalist.