Tunisian tennis sensation Ons Jabeur recently received a heartwarming message from a ball girl at the 2024 Qatar Open.
Jabeur has had a forgettable start to the 2024 season. She has faced three defeats in her five competitive appearances on the tour thus far. She has also failed to advance any further than the second-round stage of the three tournaments she has participated in.
Jabeur began the year on a positive note by winning her opener against Yulia Starodubstewa at the 2024 Australian Open but suffered a shock defeat to Mirra Andreeva in the next match.
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The Tunisian then traveled to UAE for the Abu Dhabi Open but her campaign followed a similar trajectory. She lost in the second round to Beatriz Haddad Maia after overcoming Emma Raducanu in the first.
Most recently, Jabeur crashed out of the Qatar Open after losing 3-6, 2-6 to Lesia Tsurenko in the opening round. Amid all the disappointment in Doha, however, she found praise from a ball girl in a video message recorded outside the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
The ball girl confessed her love for Jabeur, saying:
"I love you so much. I can’t explain how much I love you. I look up to you and you’re basically my favorite player and I want to be as strong as you."
Ons Jabeur wishes success for the women in Middle East: "I want them to do a different sport, I want them to be successful, businesswoman, doctors, journalist"
Before the start of the WTA 1000 event in Doha, Qatar, Ons Jabeur sat for a chat with the media.
One of the questions that came up during the press conference was whether Jabeur saw any progress in the Middle East and Arabic region given their poor history with regard to gender equality.
"It's definitely a progress. I see more and more women playing different sports, but for me, the most important thing, not just to play tennis but to do whatever they want. I don't want to limit anyone to just playing tennis. I want them to do a different sport, I want them to be successful, businesswoman, doctors, journalist", Ons Jabeur replied.
However, the World No. 6 further opined that there remains a lot of room for improvement and she yearns to fill the gap. She said:
"You know, it's very important to see that, to dare to dream. After all, is their dream, but I do see different women, youngsters speaking to me about it. I'm very happy, but I'm sure we can do much more and I'll try to give that powerful message."
