Ons Meet Jabeur – the highest ranking Arab woman, ever
The tennis pro breaks Selima Sfar’s longstanding record
In 2001, Tunisian tennis player Selima Sfar made history: she ranked 75th in the world, the only Arab woman to ever break into the top 100, and one of very few Arabs overall to achieve the feat.
Moving to France aged 13, and training under Wimbledon runner-up Nathalie Tauziat, Sfar was a true trailblazer with no predecessor or successor — until Ons Jabeur came along.
The tenacious 24-yearold player, also Tunisian, broke Sfar’s nearly two decade record on January 28 this year. She hit a career high of No 56 and became the highestranking Arab woman in tennis, ever.
The year prior, another major moment for Jabeur: she was the first Arab to reach a final — or semi-final — on the WTA tour, at the 2018 Moscow Kremlin Cup.
‘ALL CONNECTED’
Sfar had admitted she had mixed feelings about Jabeur’s success, but said the biggest honour was to see another woman go down the path that she paved.
She made their friendship Instagram official, posting a sweaty postpractice selfie together and adding the hashtags #fun, #tunisia and #champion.
Ons admits there is not enough Arab talent coming through, but with the right programme things could change.
“I’m really hoping to see more players from my country and other Arab countries compete and be in at least the world’s top 500,” she told Gulf
News in 2017. “For sure, we don’t have the mentality to be professional players in tennis, we don’t have a strategy or a good schedule or programme to practice.
“We need to be professional on and off the court to be in that place. I hope they [Arab tennis federations] are doing a good job, I don’t actually know what they are doing, but I hope they are trying to be one of the best.”
Asked if she would look to help out with Arab player development when she retires, she replied: “Of course, I can see myself doing something in Tunisia. That’s one of my goals to open an academy to help players and I hope I will [have] that chance one day.”
THE PERFECT PARTNER
Ons, who married Karim Kamoun in 2015 after dating for more than two years, also said marriage brought a fresh perception to life and tennis. She said Kamoun, a fencing champ, chips in with timely advice on the physical and mental side.
“Having good people around you really helps a lot in making progress,” she told Gulf News.
“My husband is an athlete and he is in a position to help, whether mentally or in the physical aspects of the game. I am much fitter this year as I am practicing now and it is no secret,” she added.
A GROWING FLAME
21-year-old Egyptian Sandra Samir is climbing up the ranks, too. She reached a career high of No 361 in October of last year, and holds seven singles and six doubles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit. Not only is she following in Sfar and Jabeur’s footsteps, but also behind countryman Esmail Al Shafei, the only Egyptian tennis player, man or woman, to ever break into the top 100.