2023-07-14 23:47:00
For Ons Jabeur, there will be no half measures that hold this Saturday on the Center Court of Wimbledon. The Tunisian “Minister of Happiness”, as she is nicknamed in her country, is herself at the gates of happiness, of the real thing. And even fame. If she wins, she will be the first player in the Arab world and the entire African continent to win a Grand Slam title (in singles). And it is an understatement to say the stature she will take in a region of the world where she is already considered a heroine since her first major final, reached here a year ago, once morest Elena Rybakina.
At the time, already, Jabeur was favorite. She had failed, for having held her nerves less well, in this neophyte final, compared to her opponent, who has since taken on a whole new stature. Failure to relativize, therefore. This Saturday, however, Jabeur is the favorite in larger proportions once morest a Vondrousova who will be the first non-seeded player to play at this level at Wimbledon. After two major failures in the final, adding the one that followed in 2022 at the US Open once morest Iga Swiatek (nothing dishonorable either), it is high time for Ons to pass the second. Anything other than a win would be considered a huge snub.
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It’s horrible to say when you talk regarding a player who has become the 6th in the Open era to win her first three Grand Slam semi-finals following Evonne Goolagong (3), Mary Pierce (6), Svetlana Kuznetsova (3) , Garbiñe Muguruza (3) and Naomi Osaka (4). Which is all the stronger because Jabeur did it in a year. That’s for the light side. On the dark side, if she loses this Saturday, she will however be the 9th player in the Open era to lose her first three major finals following Chris Evert, Wendy Turnbull, Helena Sukova (4), Mary-Joe Fernandez, Jana Novotna , Kim Clijsters (4), Dinara Safina and Simona Halep.
I work like crazy on myself, especially mentally. You have no idea what I do…
Glory or “drama” (not to exaggerate). So that’s a bit of what awaits Ons Jabeur. Let’s hope that she doesn’t think so, and there’s little chance that she will. The Tunisian seems mentally armed, probably better than she was last year. “I think I will learn from my two lost finals at Wimbledon and the US Open,” she hopes, already convinced that the old version of herself would not have won this half. badly started final once morest Aryna Sabalenka. A year, or even six months ago, I think I would have lost this game. But I’m a different player. I work like crazy on myself, especially mentally. You have no idea what I do…”
The world No. 6 – No. 3 in the event of a title – can also rely on her stratospheric career during which she dismissed four former Grand Slam winners. And not just anyone (Andreescu, Kvitova, Rybakina and Sabalenka), nor anyhow. She is also the first player to beat three top 10s at Wimbledon since Serena Williams (in 2012), who was also the last before her to have played two finals in a row at the All England Club (2018-19). A journey that impressed everyone, starting with our consultant Mats Wilander.
“The big difference compared to before is that Jabeur keeps a high intensity all the time and that translates into greater aggression, believes the one who was three times quarter-finalist at Wimbledon (1987, 1988 and 1989) She uses her tennis less with finesse. Of course, we all like the variety of her game, but it may not always be enough once morest the top players. There, she is now able to hold the showdown once morest the better, and that must be huge for her confidence. I think she is playing better than the two Grand Slams where she reached the final. So yes, on paper, this third final is the one where she has the best chance to win.”
This may be the most tactically complicated match in women’s tennis for 20 or 30 years (Mats Wilander)
Still, this final, Ons Jabeur will not be alone in playing it. Opposite, there will be a Marketa Vondrousova who already has experience of a Grand Slam final (Roland-Garros 2019, defeat once morest Ashleigh Barty), and once morest whom she lost twice this year, at the Australian Open and Indian Wells. Obviously, this time it will be a completely different context. Be that as it may, the “match-up” promises to be intriguing between these two excellent ball charmers, one left-handed the other right-handed, who handle the art of slice and drop shots as little as possible.
Vondrousova – Jabeur: The highlights
“Tactically, we would need 1,000 pages to try to get an idea of what they are going to do, continues Mats Wilander. They can both hit all the shots in tennis, they have a great hand, they read extremely well the game. Vondrousova can probably hit the ball a little bit harder, Jabeur can take it a little bit earlier. We can think that she will want to play fast on Vondrousova’s forehand, because this one has an extreme grip and it’s not easy on grass. But once Marketa finds the save, Ons will have to change. This may be the most tactically complicated match in women’s tennis for 20 or 30 years.”
It’s also arguably the most storied, especially on one side of the net. In the event of a title, Marketa Vondrousova would ultimately “only” perpetuate the magnificent tradition of Czech tennis, which Karolina Muchova had already proudly brandished at Roland-Garros. While Ons Jabeur will feel the breath of an entire continent behind her back. It can carry her very high, like turning out to be an unbearable weight. No half measures, we tell you.
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