Ons Jabeur on Wimbledon, inequality in tennis and Gaza: 'People are forgetting about them'
At this point in her career, Ons Jabeur is done staying silent.
Whether it's the atrocities that continue to take place in Gaza, or sexist attitudes towards women's sport, the 30-year-old Tunisian wants to use her voice and platform to speak out against injustice.
'My heart always goes out to Gaza because their situation is getting worse and worse and I feel like people are forgetting about them,' Jabeur told The National at the All England Club, ahead of the start of her Wimbledon campaign.
'I hope that changes and I hope really the world would wake up and just try to open the borders, get them food. Just do something. I feel like nobody's doing anything.
'I feel like the civilians are always paying the price for the crazy choices that politicians are making. And I wish peace everywhere.'
During her pre-event press conference, Jabeur was asked about a planned protest – by Campaign Against Arms Trade, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and War on Want – against Wimbledon's tournament sponsor Barclays.
Barclays has faced criticism for its alleged relationships with defence firms that produce equipment used by the Israeli Defence Force. The bank has said it does not invest its own money in companies that supply weapons used by Israel in Gaza, and it only trades shares in such companies on behalf of its clients.
The protest is scheduled to take place just outside the All England Club on Monday, the first day of the Championships. Jabeur was unaware of the protest, but said: 'I hope it will be a peaceful one.
'My heart goes out to the children and women and men that are dying every day there. They're not only being killed, but also being starved, which is very inhuman,' she added.
'We are in 2025 and the world is not changing. I feel like they're not doing anything about it. It is very sad. I hope everything stops and every war … It's a pretty scary world right now. I'm really scared all the time. I'm just watching the media and I feel like it's getting heated from everywhere.'
As one of just two Arabs in the Wimbledon singles main draw – alongside Egypt's Mayar Sherif – Jabeur has become a de facto spokesperson on the war in Gaza, frequently fielding questions from the media.
In a climate where any support for Palestine can be erroneously equated to anti-Semitism, speaking her mind and sharing her views can be difficult. But she believes bottling it all up inside is no easier.
'It's true, it's a burden, but it would be 10 times worse if I keep it inside,' said Jabeur, who is a goodwill ambassador for the World Food Programme.
'At a certain time, when things got worse in Gaza, I couldn't speak; some people advised me not to speak and I couldn't even do that.
'That's how the whole interview in Cancun happened because I was holding it inside for a long time,' she explained, referring to her tearful plea for peace during an on-court interview at the WTA Finals in Cancun in November 2023.
'It was making me very, very sad and it drains your energy, it's like you open up [your phone] and then you just see dead children all over and that's really sad.
'And the worst part is that you feel helpless, you feel like you're not doing enough and you need to help more.'
In an attempt to do more for women's tennis, Jabeur recently called out French Open organisers for not scheduling any women's matches in the prime time night session slot at the tournament for the past two years.
After sharing her views during her press conference in Paris and demanding 'better scheduling' decisions from Roland Garros, Jabeur received many messages on social media of people disagreeing with her and showing her photos of empty stadiums from women's matches.
That prompted the Tunisian to pen a long and thoughtful open letter, posted on her X and Instagram accounts, in which she detailed the double standards faced in women's sport, and the unfair advantage given to her male counterparts because their matches are broadcast more frequently, and to a wider audience because of favourable scheduling.
'I couldn't keep my silence any more,' she told The National on Saturday. 'I've seen a lot of bad comments and especially after I spoke about the French Open and night sessions and some people were tweeting about empty seats and I'm like, 'You guys don't understand anything. You don't know what's really happening'. It's like a lot of ignorant people.
'And for me, I'm like, I really cannot keep it inside any more. It's frustrating to me as a woman, to any woman athlete around the world and I want to be part of the people that would speak up. I would not want to stay silent.'
Jabeur is set to kick off her Wimbledon campaign against Viktoriya Tomova on Monday, hoping to recapture the form that helped her reach two back-to-back finals at the All England Club in 2022 and 2023.
A former world No 2, Jabeur has dropped to 59 in the rankings following a year riddled with injuries.
Wimbledon has been the site of some of her biggest and most historic achievements, but it's also where she suffered her most heart-rending defeats, in the 2022 final against Elena Rybakina and the 2023 decider against Marketa Vondrousova.
'It's a good and bad memory here. So I'm trying to really enjoy as much as I can,' she says.
'Try to find that freedom when I'm playing and the joy when I'm playing. It's been a tough year, I would say. But yeah, it is what it is. I'm trying to repeat some positive words to myself that … I don't want to carry the disappointment that happened before and then hopefully I can move on with it.'
Jabeur has spent the last few days practising with some of the best players on tour, including world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No 9 Paula Badosa, and No 12 Diana Shnaider.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist admits she has 'no expectations' entering these Championships. She is a modest 15-14 win-loss for the season, and her build-up to Wimbledon included a quarter-final run as a lucky loser in Berlin, and an opening round defeat in Eastbourne.
Asked to describe her biggest challenge at the moment, Jabeur said: 'It's always, I think, mentally. Because if you're mentally ready and want to do everything, I think it's easier to overcome any physical struggle or anything. But yeah, being on and off didn't help much.
'The ability of believing in myself that I can come back like before, it's been a bit low and that really affected me.
'So yeah, it's just about a lot of believing in myself more than ever because coming back at a certain level, it's never easy. So I hope I can overcome that.
'Sometimes two, three matches will give you the confidence and the ability to know that you can do it. Right now, I need to trust more my body. I need to hopefully get better on the court and find my movements.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Egypt's Environment Minister calls for stronger action on desertification, climate resilience in Africa
Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, has warned that climate change and desertification pose critical threats to Africa's security and stability, urging coordinated regional action and increased investment in sustainable environmental and climate solutions. Speaking before the African Affairs Committee of Egypt's House of Representatives, Fouad outlined both national and continental efforts to address these mounting challenges. She also highlighted Egypt's leadership role following her appointment as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). 'This position reflects the trust of Egypt's political leadership and continues our country's longstanding commitment to support Africa in confronting the accelerating threat of land degradation,' Fouad said, noting that nearly 45% of Africa's landmass is already affected by desertification. Fouad reviewed Egypt's key achievements under its 2050 National Climate Strategy, including emissions reductions between 2018 and 2022 in the power, oil, and transport sectors. She also pointed to major coastal adaptation projects, such as the construction of 80 kilometres of nature-based seawalls to protect cities in the Nile Delta from rising sea levels. She stressed that desertification has evolved into a political and socioeconomic issue, not merely an environmental one, and reiterated Egypt's call to integrate the three Rio Conventions—climate change, biodiversity, and desertification—through a presidential initiative promoting cross-cutting, nature-based solutions that protect both ecosystems and local livelihoods. Addressing the Loss and Damage Fund, launched during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Fouad said Egypt is preparing national projects to access funding and has developed technical teams to assess climate-related damages and mobilise resources. She also announced the launch of an interactive climate risk map and a national contingency plan for extreme weather events. Fouad underscored Egypt's leadership in mobilising regional climate finance, particularly for food security initiatives in North and East Africa, and emphasised the importance of linking food, energy, and water security under a unified, climate-resilient development agenda. She also highlighted Egypt's recent legislative reforms, including green incentives for producers of plastic alternatives under the new investment law, and the enforcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility policy aimed at reducing single-use plastic waste. Fouad concluded by reaffirming Egypt's growing international and regional role, noting the country's preparations to host the upcoming Barcelona Convention meeting on the protection of the Mediterranean marine environment. She added that Egypt's domestic environmental efforts are increasingly viewed as a model for developing nations across the Global South. © 2024 Daily News Egypt. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Hamas says 'positively engaging' but fate of Gaza ceasefire lies in US-Israel talks
Hamas officials said the group is positively engaging with mediators, but the fate of a Gaza ceasefire lies in US-Israel talks. US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House next week to press him for an end to the war in Gaza. "We are engaging positively with the mediators. What matters to us is stopping the aggression and the massacres. We hope something positive will happen on this front," a Beirut-based Hamas official said. "The problem lies with Netanyahu and his government, which does not respond to the mediators' calls to halt the aggression, release the prisoners, allow aid into Gaza, and withdraw," added the official. In Washington, Mr Trump is likely to tell Mr Netanyahu that the war, now more than 20 months old, can no longer continue, sources in the US said on Monday. "Netanyahu is ready to discuss a ceasefire, because the military and political objectives of the war have long been achieved," one of the sources explained. A second Hamas official stated that "the Israelis and Americans are discussing matters among themselves. We are waiting for what will come out of those discussions". "There are positive signals from the Israelis and Americans, but there is no reliance on Trump, given his historical positions on Hamas, which are far from promising," he added. The war in Gaza started after a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in Gaza and reduced most of the coastal strip to rubble. food aid and supplies.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Christopher Eubanks hopes to ace tennis as a player and broadcaster
Two years ago, Christopher Eubanks had a life-changing grass-court season. In March 2023, the American had cracked the top 100 for the first time, on the back of an impressive run to the Miami Open quarter-finals, as a qualifier. Two-and-a-half months later, on the grass courts of Mallorca, 77th-ranked Eubanks clinched a maiden ATP title, two days ahead of the start of Wimbledon. Entering the Championships, Eubanks owned a 2-8 win-loss record at the Grand Slams, with his best results being two second-round appearances. That all changed that summer though, as Eubanks stormed to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, knocking out 13th-ranked Cameron Norrie and fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way. His nine-match winning streak on grass courts was eventually snapped by world No 3 Daniil Medvedev, who beat Eubanks in five sets in the last eight. Eubanks, who was 27 at the time, hit a career-high mark of 29 as a result of that run. But its impact on him went far beyond rankings. 'It certainly was [life-changing],' Eubanks told The National at the All England Club, ahead of his third consecutive main draw appearance at Wimbledon. 'I think it enhanced, say, what I expected of myself. So a certain level of expectation that I have, saying, 'Oh, I can play well, I can be in the second week of a major', which is something up to that point, I didn't really know if it was a real possibility. 'So certainly it's changed my perspective on my own tennis.' It's hard to imagine Eubanks can ever be short on perspective. The 29-year-old Atlanta native has an interesting side hustle that helps him gain deeper insight into the game, as well as the psychology of a professional athlete. When he's not on a tennis court, Eubanks is a broadcaster, often commentating matches or conducting interviews for Tennis Channel or ESPN. While it's common to see former players enter the media space following their retirement, it's way less common to see active players take on media-related gigs. Eubanks sat behind a microphone to call a match for the first time at a Challenger event in Knoxville in November 2021. He had seen his fellow American Taylor Townsend do some media work for Tennis Channel when she was on maternity leave, and had his agent contact the network to see if he could take on a similar role. They signed him up to do some commentary for the spring of 2022 and he figured he should get some practice in at a Challenger he was competing in. After getting through his own match, Eubanks joined Mike Cation – a respected tennis commentator – in the booth in Knoxville to call a second-round match between Jack Sock and Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Eubanks won the Knoxville title that week, which was perhaps a sign he could juggle both duties if he wanted to. The gigs kept coming from then on and Eubanks received rave reviews for his insights, commentating style and engaging conversation. After losing in the first round of the US Open last year, he joined the ESPN crew and was given several roles, including interviewing players in the tunnel before they stepped on court for their matches, or right after they won. He made sure his media obligations always came after he had finished competing in a tournament – a formula that has been working out well for him for the past three years. Several active players have since followed suit, like Sloane Stephens, who was part of TNT's French Open coverage this year as she continues to recover from a foot injury, and Lucas Pouille, who conducted on-court interviews at Roland Garros, while his ruptured Achilles tendon heals. Is it difficult to talk about other players on television when you could soon face them in a match on court? 'Honestly, no,' Eubanks says with zero hesitation. 'It's something that I think before I started doing it, it was a a bit of an apprehension. But I've always found it that here's a way to be critical and be respectful at the same time. They're not mutually exclusive.' For Eubanks, context is important when analysing a surprise loss or a poor performance from a player. 'It kills me oftentimes when you see players who go deep in a slam and they have one bad showing in, say, like a round of 16 and it looks like they don't even belong on the court. And it's like the commentary around that also needs to highlight this player's just won three matches, especially on the men's side, best-of-five. 'Even on the women's side, big money, big pressure moments. They clearly can play tennis. There's a reason why maybe they're not playing well on this day. 'Maybe it's conditions, maybe it's fatigue, maybe it's whatever. So for me, it's just painting a broader context. And I think because I'm out here with players on tour, I maybe empathise with it a bit more. 'And it hasn't presented itself to where it's been that difficult of a problem. It's like, oh, let's tell both sides of it. It's not just this player is playing poorly. 'The player on the other side of the net is probably doing something to force this player to play poorly. And let's break down the tennis and let's keep it on the court.' Eubanks refuses to take credit for the growing trend of active players taking on media roles, reiterating that it was Townsend who inspired him to pursue this. 'I do think it's a trend and I think it's a trend in the right direction. I think we're seeing it across all sports and not just tennis,' he explained. 'We're seeing players who play in the NBA. They're eliminated from the play-offs then they join NBA coverage. 'We're seeing active NBA players doing stuff for ESPN. We have obviously tons of NBA and NFL active players doing sports podcasts or getting into the media space. So I think it's a trend that's just moving in that direction. 'And I think fans are excited to hear about it because you want to hear from the players that are playing the game against the players that they're talking about.' Eubanks was recently randomly mentioned in a Nick Kyrgios interview, where the Australian, who is sidelined with an injury, hit out at the BBC for not including him in their commentary team for this year's Wimbledon. 'It's unfortunate but it's probably their loss more than mine,' Kyrgios told The Guardian of the BBC. 'I understand they've got Chris Eubanks, but he hasn't beaten the greatest of all time multiple times. When someone's beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it's very strange you wouldn't want that person adding knowledge to tennis fans.' Eubanks jokingly shared a meme on social media that indicated his surprise at being mentioned in that conversation, before clarifying he was never contacted by the BBC to take on any media responsibilities at these Championships. Instead, the American is hoping to enjoy a good run at Wimbledon, where he kicks off his campaign on Tuesday against Jesper de Jong. Down to 130 in the world, Eubanks has struggled to find consistent results since his breakthrough two years ago, but he knows which mindset he needs to adopt in order to find his game once again. 'In 2023, I spoke a lot about it; not really focusing on the results and just letting things happen,' he reflected. 'I think the hardest part now is trying to find that state again. It's pretty easy when you're winning to say, 'I don't care about the results' and you're just riding the high of winning, whatever, nine matches in a row. 'But now the expectation that I have of myself is that I want to be playing deeper rounds. I want to be back ranked inside the top 50. These are the things and the standards that I'm holding myself to. 'And I think over the course of the past, say, 12 to 18 months, it's been some ups and downs and some times where I probably wasn't in the best headspace. 'But now I do think having that perspective, saying, alright, I did it once. I stressed out about it for the next year or two, or a year to a year and a half of trying to recreate it and forcing it, and forcing it, and forcing it. And I think now I've kind of hit a point where I'm like, alright, well, that didn't really work either. 'So let's just do everything that we can to find that, for lack of a better term, flow state to allow myself to just go out there, play the best tennis that I can play, be OK with whatever the result is and then just trust. 'I think that the biggest challenge has been trusting that over time, things are going to turn the way that I want them to.'
