"Don't tell me what to do" - Ons Jabeur reveals how her coaching relationship with husband Karim started

Ons Jabeur opened up about how she makes her working relationship tick with her husband Karim Kamoun, who is also her fitness coach. The Tunisian player also revealed how short their first training session lasted.

Jabeur recently joined the Nothing Major Podcast, hosted by former American tennis stars Sam Querrey, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock. She discussed several topics with the former players including the extent of tennis in her home country of Tunisia, Carlos Alcaraz's drop shot, and her working relationship with husband-turned-fitness coach Karim.

Reflecting on their transition from a couple to a professional team, Jabeur shared how their first training session did not go as planned.

"It was funny when we started working together because, obviously, we were dating before, and then we thought, maybe we try and work," Ons Jabeur said (17:00).

She recalled initially resisting his instructions.

"He became my fitness coach, and the first time he told me to go around, I was like, 'Don't tell me what to do, don't give me—'nand then he was throwing the medicine ball, and he was kind of a bit far. He was like,'You don't know how to throw, you don't know how to catch it.' I think the first session ended in 15 minutes," she added.

Further, the 30-year-old Tunisian emphasized that communication has been the key to making their dual relationship work.

"The key of this is the communication between both. Since day one, we started working together, I told him, 'If you don't like anything, you just have to tell me from the beginning. Just don't let things add up...' We don't want it to affect our personal relationship and our professional relationship," Jabeur said.

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Ons Jabeur reveals the "positive" influence of her husband Karim on her team

Ons Jabeur and Karim Kamoun at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart 2024 - Source: Getty

During the aforementioned podcast, Ons Jabeur also opened up about the "positive" influence of having her husband, Karim Kamoun, as part of her team. She explained that sharing the same dream has strengthened their bond and given her an extra boost on the court.

"I think I see it in a positive way. It's a dream that we both share and we both wanna achieve and that's something I like it when cheers for me and it feels like extra energy coming from him, obviously than from someone that I don't really know," she said (18:40).

In 2025, Jabeur holds a 6-3 record so far, having competed in Brisbane, Adelaide, and the Australian Open without making a significant impact. Up next, she faces Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open.