Ons Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final

Born in Ksar Hellal (Tunisia) in 1994, Ons Jabeur is a Tunisian tennis player. On Friday, she became the first Arab player in history to reach the Round of 16 of a Grand Slam.

Considered as the best Arab player in the history of tennis with a 51st place in the WTA ranking reached in September 2019, she also won the award of “best Arab athlete of the year”.

She was crowned junior champion at Roland Garros in 2010, but it took her a long time to explode among the pros. Due to financial shortfalls, she then found it difficult to travel or hire a coach and had to rely on the help of her family to make a name for herself on the circuit.

Now, it’s an entire country standing behind Ons Jabeur as she marches to conquer the Australian Open.

It was around 3:00am in Tunisia and cafes in Tunis were open and showing Ons Jabeur's match. pic.twitter.com/V7xAuDXq1E

— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) January 24, 2020

Source of inspiration

Today, with her very own style of play, a blend of touch and power, Ons Jabeur is a true source of inspiration for those who aspire to play tennis, especially in Africa. If she has yet to win the biggest competitions, the Tunisian is looking forward to a performance at this edition of the Australian Open by going for a final, or even a victory.

By her own admission, the young woman also hopes to enter the top 20 before the end of the year.