Who is Ons Jabeur, The First Arab Woman To Reach Wimbledon Semifinal?

By Ritu Sanghvi Updated July 07, 2022 4:30 PM

Women from all over the world are breaking records and creating history – especially in sports. And this Tuesday was no different. It was the day when Ons Jabeur made history by becoming the first Arab woman to ever reach the semifinals at Wimbledon. In fact, she was also the first-ever Arab tennis player to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament in 2020 and the first Arab player to break into the top 10 of the men’s or women’s rankings. The list of her firsts doesn’t stop there. But before we get into her achievements, let’s go back a bit and know who Ons Jabeur is and how her tennis journey started.

Special feelings!! Semifinals here I come!! 🙌

Yalla!! #TeamOJ 🇹🇳 pic.twitter.com/LKiboKexJV

— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) July 5, 2022

Who is Ons Jabeur?

Ons Jabeur was a Tunisian born in the southern coastal town of Ksar Hellal. She is one of four siblings. The player was just 12 years old when she moved to the capital, Tunis where she trained at courts belonging to local hotels and later on at a sports club.

In 2015, the right-hander who is known for the variety of her play and stamina married her physical trainer and former fencer, Karim Kamoun. Ons Jabeur first entered the global scene in the year 2011.

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The start of Ons Jabeur’s tennis journey

Well, it all started 15 years ago when she was just 12 years old. She started off by playing on tennis courts that belonged to local hotels but later on joined the Tennis Club Hammam Sousse which is located in North Africa. Her coach Nabil Mlika had said in an interview that she was a talented girl who was destined to stand out against both – her female and male peers.

However, like every story, there was a twist to this one as well. There was a time when Ons Jabeur was almost on the verge of quitting tennis. And that was because she had great ball control and so many coaches from handball approached her to try it out and she was seriously considering switching sports. But she did end up choosing tennis and the world is all too glad for it.

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The many firsts of Ons Jabeur

In the beginning, Ons Jabeur won the girls’ singles at the French Open at the age of 16. She later crashed out in the very first round of the French Open in May and that changed something in her. She came back more determined and that was clearly visible when she won the Berlin WTA singles title a few weeks later.

In 2020, at the Australian Open, she became the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament. Following that, in 2021, Ons Jabeur became the first Arab player to break into the top 10 of the men’s or women’s rankings and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. After which, she became the first Arab tennis player to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. And topped all of it up, by becoming the first Arab woman to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. In fact, this year all in all has been a great year on the grass for Ons Jabeur especially after she won her first four matches in straight sets.