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- Tunisian star Monday landed No. 8 in WTA rankings to delight of growing global fanbase
RIYADH: In her home country of Tunisia, they call her 鈥淲azeerat Al Sa鈥檃da鈥� or 鈥淢inister of Happiness,鈥� and with good reason.
As Ons Jabeur on Monday celebrated becoming the first Arab tennis player to enter the world鈥檚 top 10 after moving to No. 8 in the Women鈥檚 Tennis Association rankings, her hordes of fans were feeling like they too had a reason to dream big.
Supporters of the 27-year-old throughout the Arab world have been setting their alarms for all hours to follow her recent matches in the Indian Wells tournament, where she reached the biggest semi-final of her career and secured her top 10 debut.
Amid a turbulent political climate in Tunisia, Jabeur has given her compatriots 鈥渁 reason to smile鈥� 鈥� as one Twitter user put it 鈥� and she has proved to herself, and everyone, that an Arab player can indeed join the sport鈥檚 elite at the very top.
Breaking new ground for Arab tennis, she does not just have the backing of fans from the Middle East and North Africa region; she has been embraced, both figuratively and literally, by the sport she has dedicated more than two decades of her life to.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast on Friday, her idol, former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, said: 鈥淥ns Jabeur is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the world to watch, she鈥檚 just amazing, and maybe the most hugged player on tour; every single time she shakes a hand, people hug her, she must be an amazing person too.鈥�
American Roddick is not wrong. Jabeur has won over fans with her exciting brand of tennis that features incredible variety, and she has also won over the locker room by being one of the friendliest and funniest players on tour.
The moment she won her Indian Wells quarter-final and guaranteed her place among the world鈥檚 top 10, social media timelines were flooded with heartfelt messages of congratulations from her peers as well as from legends of the sport.
From Billie Jean King to Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to Tracy Austin, Jabeur鈥檚 historic achievement did not go unnoticed by a host of tennis greats.
Former world No. 1 Andy Murray shared the news on Twitter with the caption, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 very cool.鈥�
Fellow players such as ex-US Open champion Sloane Stephens, Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady, Indian trail blazer Sania Mirza, four-time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters, and many more celebrated Jabeur online, while former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka gushed over her during a press conference on Friday.
The two-time major champion said: 鈥淪he鈥檚 my dream player to play. I鈥檓 such a huge fan of her. I think she鈥檚 amazing. The history that she鈥檚 making in the part of the world where sports are not necessarily that accessible; I just can鈥檛 wait to see how much further she can go.
鈥淥bviously she鈥檚 an incredible player. The improvement she has done throughout, I wouldn鈥檛 necessarily only talk this year, but the last couple years, to really step up her game, improve her fitness level. I鈥檓 a huge fan. I鈥檓 just fan-girling here completely,鈥� Azarenka added.
The huge reaction to her latest feat has taken Jabeur by surprise, and it provided a welcome boost in her quest for further glory.
鈥淚t means a lot. I honestly did not expect Andy Murray or Navratilova or Billie Jean King to tweet about me. It鈥檚 unbelievable,鈥� said Jabeur, who picked up her maiden WTA title earlier this year in Birmingham, before becoming the first Arab woman to make the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July.
鈥淚t just shows how important it is to me to achieve this. Being recognized by legends, honestly, it just gives me even more the power to work harder and be like them one day maybe, a Grand Slam champion.鈥�
With the release of the new rankings on Monday, Jabeur eclipsed Morocco鈥檚 Younes El-Aynaoui, whose career-high mark of No. 14 was the highest ever reached by an Arab tennis player before the crafty Tunisian came along.
The now-retired El-Aynaoui has been following Jabeur鈥檚 career ever since she won the Roland-Garros (French Open) junior title as a 16-year-old in 2011.
El-Aynaoui told Arab News: 鈥淭hat was already an amazing achievement. We have to give her a lot of credit because to be very strong very young and then to wait that long to win again, to perform well 鈥� when you win the French Open juniors, everybody is expecting you to break into the top pretty fast, but it took her a while; she finally found her stability, maybe with the family, the husband, the coach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just great to see her playing well tournament after tournament, it鈥檚 almost two years now she鈥檚 really on the top, and I think also there鈥檚 a big opportunity in women鈥檚 tennis today,鈥� he said.
El-Aynaoui pointed out that Jabeur鈥檚 鈥減atience鈥� and 鈥減erseverance鈥� stood out most to him when he looked at her journey and he hoped her success would inspire a new generation of young players from the Arab world and give a big boost to women鈥檚 sport in the region.
鈥淲e saw the last US Open, the two women鈥檚 finalists were newcomers. I think it鈥檚 a good time for Ons. Being top 10 is already amazing, but I would love to see her, why not, winning a slam or runner-up in a slam, that would be even greater I think,鈥� he added.
With 48 victories under her belt in 2021, Jabeur has won more matches than any other player on the WTA tour so far this season and is in the running for a highly coveted qualification spot in next month鈥檚 WTA finals in Guadalajara, where the world鈥檚 top eight are set to compete.
Should she qualify, she would become the first Arab player to make it to a season-ending championships and Jabeur is determined to write one more chapter in the history books before she wraps up her year.
鈥淭op 10 I know is just the beginning. I know I deserve this place, but I want to prove that I deserve to be here, I deserve to be one of the top 10 players,鈥� she said.
The north African will be competing in Moscow this week and hopes to punch her ticket to the season finale.
She noted that it had been a stressful few weeks knowing she had a real chance of qualifying for the finals, while also acknowledging there was a lengthy list of players fighting for the same goal.
鈥淚鈥檝e never been in this situation; I never played this long; never been in the top 10 before. It鈥檚 a lot of things happening at the same time. This is what I鈥檝e worked for, this is what I want to believe, to achieve.
鈥淚 finally, with maturity and enough experience, am accepting that this kind of pressure is a privilege, it鈥檚 a pleasure to have it,鈥� she added.
Jabeur is not just managing the pressure of competition, she is also carrying the hopes of an entire region on her back, and she highlighted how tough it had been trying to carve a path for herself coming from a country such as Tunisia that had not produced top champions in the past.
鈥淚t is much different to come from my country than being American or French or Australian. They have not just the example of seeing players playing in front of you, they have more tennis clubs, even more tournaments.
鈥淚鈥檝e been rejected by sponsors because of where I come from, which is so not fair. I didn鈥檛 understand why before. I accepted it. I dealt with it. I am really proud of the person I have become today, just not relying on others.
鈥淚t gave me the courage to continue and achieve my goals, and I鈥檓 in the top 10 today,鈥� she said.
El-Aynaoui said being the only person from a country or region on tour could have its advantages, as hitting a new milestone or pulling off a historic feat gained more attention.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 call it pressure, I would call it motivation, when you know you鈥檙e playing and behind you there is a whole country and so many people supporting you, it gives you wings,鈥� he added.
Jabeur is embracing the pressure and believes it will prepare her for even greater things down the road.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying so hard to calm myself down and handle all this stress because I want to be a Grand Slam champion. If I want to do that, then I need to go through this. Hopefully I鈥檒l go through this without having a heart attack,鈥� she said jokingly.
Judging by how her career has unfolded so far, it is fair to assume the Minister of Happiness will be just fine.