“I was trying to convince her older daughter to support me in the semis, I want them to come to my side” - Ons Jabeur on her Wimbledon semifinal against Tatjana Maria

Ons Jabeur returned from a set down to beat Marie Bouzkova and book her place in the semifinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday. The 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 win on Center Court means she will be competing in her first Grand Slam semifinal at SW19.

The 27-year-old Tunisian didn't have it all her way, however. After losing the first set pretty easily, she was back to her dominant best to take the next two.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Jabeur said that getting a break early in the second set helped her swing the momentum her way.

“I am very happy, I hope my path continues. Today was a very tough match, but I am happy to play better in both the second and third sets. I played quite well from the beginning of the second, especially after having a break in favor early, which helped me regain confidence,” Jabeur said.

Standing between Jabeur and a place in her maiden final is Tatjana Maria. The German beat compatriot Jule Niemeier to book her spot in the semifinals. Jabeur is looking forward to facing her beloved friend and “barbecue buddy” in the semifinals

“She had a very tough draw, beating Ostapenko or Sakkari. I knew she could do great on grass. It's going to be difficult to play against her. I know that she has suffered a lot and it is not easy to return to tennis after having two babies. It will be a great game with a lot of respect from both of us,” Ons Jabeur said.

The 27-year-old Jabeur joked that she was trying to establish an advantage over Maria by getting the German's daughter to support her in the semifinals.

“I was joking with Charlotte [Maria's older daughter] and I was trying to convince her to support me in the semis, I want them to come to my side,” she said laughing.

“They are very nice, and I am very happy that she has what she deserves. We may not be friends during the game, but we'll be friends again after it. Her family once invited me to their house and it will be amazing to be with them, I love them so much,” Jabeur added.

Last year, she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in a historic first for Arab tennis. Now, Jabeur has gone one step further to become the first Arab and North African player – man or woman – to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

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“The further you go, the more it hurts that there are no ranking points at Wimbledon” - Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

With the Championships banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing this year, ATP and WTA jointly decided to strip the tournament of its ranking points, a decision Ons Jabeur thinks is unfair to all players who fought hard to reach the business end of the tournament.

“I'm not going to lie to you: the further you go, the more it hurts that there are no points. I'm not just saying it for myself. Look at Tatjana [Maria], it took a lot for her to come back to tennis with the ranking she had. She needed the invitations, but it's not easy. Now she has a great tournament, she goes far and she doesn't get points. Everyone who has gone far here deserves those points,” Ons Jabeur said.

“But hey, it is what it is. We have to stop looking at the points and maybe focus on money, a little more is not bad,” she added, with a laugh.