break in friendship
Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria are friends in life and spend a lot of time together. “She’s my barbecue partner”, says the Tunisian who “for two hours” will put their friendship aside.
“I joked with Charlotte (Maria’s eldest daughter) asking her if she would be for me or for her mother. I try to get the children on my side…”, laughs Jabeur.
She also admits her admiration for her next opponent: “She had a really complicated table, she beat Ostapenko (after saving two match points, editor’s note), Sakkari… She plays really well and I’m happy that she gets what she deserves because she fought a lot. It is not easy to come back after having had two children, ”insists the world No.2.
Arriving at Wimbledon undefeated on grass this season with the Berlin title in hand, the 2nd world Jabeur will necessarily be the favorite against the 103rd, seven years her senior (27 years for Jabeur, 34 for Maria).
Not to mention that Jabeur is on a mission, for her, the Arab people and more generally the African continent.
The first player from the Arab world to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, at the Australian Open in 2020, the Tunisian is also the first African player to reach the semi-finals of a Major since the South African Amanda Coetzer (Roland-Garros 1997).
Before the quarters, former Moroccan player Hicham Arazi, who had reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in 2000 and 2004 and at Roland-Garros in 1997 and 1998, told him: “The Arabs always lose in quarters and we’ve had enough, please do something! “said Jabeur.
After qualifying for the last four, the player received a message from Arazi: “Now you can go for the title,” she reported.
Opposite, Maria considers living a “moment of madness”, she who had once reached the third round at Wimbledon (2015) but never exceeded the second round in the other Majors.
But as incredible as her journey was, she reminds us that she is “a mother first and foremost”.
“The most important thing in my life is to be the mother of two children. I’m in the Wimbledon half, it’s crazy, but I’m still a mom (…) When it’s over, I’ll leave the court and go see my children to do what I do every day: change the Pampers. ..”, underlines the German.
A sense of normality that can allow him to keep his feet on the grass and continue to create surprises…
The winner and the novice
Three years after her title and after months of battling injuries, Simona Halep is back in the semis.
The former world No.1, currently 18th in the WTA rankings, dispatched the American Amanda Anisimova (25th) 6-2, 6-4 in the quarters.
“It’s great to be back in the semi-finals, I’m very moved,” admitted the 30-year-old Romanian who has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
She is also the player who had spent the least time on the court to reach the quarterfinals with a total of 4h35 for four games. It still only took him 1h03 to dismiss Anisimova.
“I play my best tennis without a doubt. I’m trying to regain my self-confidence, ”assured Halep, also winner of Roland-Garros 2018 and who has been working since April with Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams.
To try to reach her second Wimbledon final, she will have to dismiss Kazakh Elena Rybakina (23rd) who eliminated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (44th) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
” It’s incredible. I’m so happy to be in the semi-finals,” commented the 23-year-old Moscow-born player who will be the first representative of Kazakhstan, male or female, to play a half of a Grand Slam tournament. .