Ons Jabeur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ons Jabeur

Jabeur at the 2024 Washington Open
Native name	أنس جابر
Country (sports)	Tunisia
Residence	Sousse, Tunisia
Born	(1994-08-28) 28 August 1994 (age 30) Ksar Hellal, Tunisia
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned pro	2010
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Issam Jellali
Prize money	$13,487,449 47th in all-time rankings
Singles
Career record	445–245
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 2 (27 June 2022)
Current ranking	No. 39 (13 January 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (2020)
French Open	QF (2023, 2024)
Wimbledon	F (2022, 2023)
US Open	F (2022)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2022, 2023)
Olympic Games	1R (2012, 2016, 2020)
Doubles
Career record	31–31
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 116 (3 February 2020)
Current ranking	No. 236 (13 January 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2020)
Wimbledon	1R (2019)
US Open	2R (2019)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	37–13 (74%)
Medal record Representing  Tunisia Women's Tennis All-Africa Games Gold 2011 Maputo Singles Gold 2011 Maputo Team event Silver 2011 Maputo Doubles Pan Arab Games Gold 2011 Doha Team event Bronze 2011 Doha Doubles

Ons Jabeur (born August 28, 1994) is a professional tennis player from Tunisia. She is known for her unique playing style. Ons has reached a career-high ranking of world No. 2. This happened on June 27, 2022. This makes her the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player ever.

Ons has won five singles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes a big event at the 2022 Madrid Open. She has also been a runner-up in three major tournaments, called Grand Slams. She is the first African and Arab woman to play in a Grand Slam singles final.

Ons started playing tennis when she was three years old. She became a professional player in her teenage years. She reached two junior Grand Slam finals at the French Open in 2010 and 2011. She won the 2011 final. This made her the first African or Arab player to win a junior Grand Slam since 1964.

After playing mostly on the ITF level for almost ten years, she started playing more on the WTA Tour in 2017. At the 2020 Australian Open, Ons became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. She did this again at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. She also became the first Arab woman to win a WTA Tour title at the 2021 Birmingham Classic.

In 2022, Ons played even better. She won the Madrid Open, which was her biggest title. After that, she reached two Grand Slam finals in a row at Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached the world No. 2 ranking. The next year, she reached the Wimbledon final again. Ons's success has helped tennis become more popular in Africa. She won the Arab Woman of the Year award in 2019.

Early Life and Training

Ons Jabeur was born in Ksar Hellal, a small town in Tunisia. Her parents are Samira and Ridha Jabeur. She grew up in the nearby city of Sousse. Ons has two older brothers, Hatem and Marwen, and an older sister, Yasmine. Her mother played tennis for fun and introduced Ons to the sport when she was three.

Ons trained with coach Nabil Mlika for ten years, from age four to thirteen. She started with him at a tennis center at her school. When she was ten, her club didn't have its own tennis courts. She could only train at nearby hotels. At twelve, Ons moved to Tunis, the capital city. She trained at a special sports high school for young athletes. She stayed there for several years.

She also trained in Belgium and France when she was 16. Ons thanks her parents for their support. She said they sacrificed a lot for her dream. Her mom drove her to tournaments all over Tunisia. Her parents believed in her and gave her confidence.

Tennis Career Highlights

Starting as a Junior Player

Ons Jabeur began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in August 2007. She was almost 13 years old. In her first tournament in Lebanon, she won the doubles event with her friend Nour Abbès. She won her first singles title in 2009 in the United Arab Emirates. She also won the doubles event there.

Later that year, she did well in bigger tournaments. She was a runner-up in Morocco and won in Egypt. Ons played in her first junior Grand Slam at the 2009 US Open. She lost her first match there.

Jabeur at the US Open in 2009

In May 2010, Ons started getting strong results at junior Grand Slams. At the 2010 French Open, she reached the final but lost. She also did well at Wimbledon, reaching the quarterfinals in singles. After the US Open, Ons had surgery on her left wrist in November. This kept her from playing for five months.

Ons played her last two junior singles events at the 2011 French Open and 2011 Wimbledon Championships. At the French Open, she won her only junior Grand Slam title. This made her the first North African woman to win a junior Grand Slam. She beat top players like Daria Gavrilova and Caroline Garcia. In the final, she defeated Monica Puig. This win helped her reach world No. 4 in junior rankings. She was also the first Arab girl to win a junior Grand Slam singles title.

Becoming a Professional Player

Ons Jabeur started playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in 2008 when she was 14. In October 2009, she was a runner-up in both singles and doubles at a tournament in Monastir. She won her first professional singles title in May 2010 in Turkey. Two months later, she won both singles and doubles in Morocco.

After her wrist surgery and junior Grand Slam win, Ons started playing in bigger tournaments in 2011. She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut in February 2012. She was 17 years old and played at the Qatar Ladies Open. She lost her first match but later upset world No. 33 Zheng Jie at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Ons finished 2012 ranked No. 260 in the world.

Climbing the Rankings (2013-2016)

Jabeur in 2015

In April 2013, Ons won her first $25k title in Tunis. She then won two $50k titles in Japan in May. These wins helped her enter the top 200 players for the first time. In July, she played in her second WTA tournament. She upset the top seed, Bojana Jovanovski, before losing in the quarterfinals. Another $50k title in Canada helped her reach a new career-high ranking of 139.

Ons stayed in the top 200 for most of the next three years. However, she couldn't break into the top 100. Her best ranking in this period was 118 in 2015. She played mostly ITF events. In 2014, she won one $25k title in Tunis. She didn't win any titles in 2015, and her ranking dropped to No. 210. In 2016, she won two $25k titles and one $50k title in Tunis. This helped her get back into the top 200. She finished 2016 ranked No. 193.

Breaking into the Top 100 (2017-2018)

Jabeur at Wimbledon qualifying in 2017

In 2017, Ons played in all four Grand Slam singles events for the first time. She reached the main draw of the French Open as a lucky loser. She also qualified for Wimbledon and got direct entry into the US Open. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she upset world No. 22 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Her big moment came at the French Open. She won two matches, including a surprise win over world No. 7 Dominika Cibulková. This was her first win against a top-10 player. She reached the third round. By the end of July, she entered the top 100 rankings. She stayed in the top 100 for the rest of the year.

In February 2018, Ons fell out of the top 100. She won her first $100k title at the Manchester Trophy. This brought her back to No. 133. This title also gave her a special entry into Wimbledon. She won her only Grand Slam main-draw match of the year there. Ons ended her season with her best result yet. She reached the final of the Kremlin Cup in Russia. She beat three top-25 players, including world No. 8 Sloane Stephens. This result put her back in the top 100 at a career-high of No. 62.

Rising Higher (2019-2021)

Jabeur at the 2019 French Open

In 2019, Ons played in all four Grand Slam main draws and stayed in the top 100. She had a better second half of the season. She reached the semifinals at the Eastbourne International. She upset world No. 19 Johanna Konta there.

Her next big result was at the US Open. She reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the second time. She lost a close match to world No. 3 Karolína Plíšková. This success helped her reach a career-high ranking of No. 51.

In 2020, Ons had a major breakthrough at the Australian Open. She beat Johanna Konta and Caroline Garcia. Then she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in Wozniacki's last career match. Ons beat another top 50 player before losing in the quarterfinals. This made her the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. She also entered the top 50 rankings.

The next month, she continued to play well. She reached the quarterfinals at the Qatar Ladies Open. She upset world No. 3 Karolína Plíšková there. After the COVID-19 break, Ons kept her good form. She reached the third round of the US Open and the fourth round of the French Open. She finished 2020 as world No. 31, her highest year-end ranking so far.

Jabeur holding the 2021 Birmingham Classic trophy

In 2021, Ons reached the final of the MUSC Health Women's Open. She then made history at the Birmingham Classic. She became the first Arab woman to win a WTA Tour title.

At Wimbledon, Ons defeated five-time champion Venus Williams. She became the first Tunisian, first Arab woman, and first woman from an African country since 2005 to reach the third round at Wimbledon. She continued her run by beating former Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza. She then defeated seventh seed Iga Świątek to reach the quarterfinals. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka there. As a result, she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 22.

Ons made her top 20 debut in August 2021. At Indian Wells, she reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal. With this win, she became the first Arab tennis player to reach the top 10 in either ATP or WTA rankings. She also won an exhibition event, the World Tennis Championship.

Major Finals and World No. 2 (2022)

Ons started 2022 at the Sydney International. She reached the quarterfinals but then had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to a back injury. She reached the quarterfinals at the Dubai Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open.

Ons reached her first final of 2022 at the Charleston Open. She lost to Belinda Bencic. At the Madrid Open, she reached her first WTA 1000 final. She became the first Arab player to reach a final at this level. She defeated Jessica Pegula in the final. This made her the first African player to win a WTA 1000 title.

At the Italian Open, she reached her second WTA 1000 final in a row. She saved a match point in the semifinals. In the final, she lost to Iga Świątek. By reaching this final, Ons set a career-high ranking of world No. 6. She then reached a career-high of world No. 4 in June 2022.

Ons Jabeur receives the 2022 Wimbledon Championships Finalist Shield from Kate Middleton, then the Duchess of Cambridge.

As the top seed, she won the German Open in Berlin. This moved her to a new career-high ranking of world No. 3. On June 27, 2022, she reached world No. 2. This was the highest ranking for any African and Arab tennis player in history.

In London, she reached her second Wimbledon quarterfinal. She defeated Marie Bouzková in the quarterfinal. This made her the first Arab or North African woman to reach the semifinals of a major tournament. After that, she defeated Tatjana Maria to reach her first Grand Slam final. This made her the first African woman and first Arab or North African player to enter a Grand Slam singles final in the Open Era. In the final, she lost to Elena Rybakina.

At the US Open, she regained her form. She reached the quarterfinals for the first time at this major. She became the third African woman to reach the US Open quarterfinals in the Open era. She then reached the final, becoming the first African woman and first Arab woman to do so. However, she lost against Iga Świątek.

Ons recorded her first win at a WTA Tour event in Africa in her home country, Tunisia. She made her debut at the WTA Finals. She won one match in the group stage but did not advance. She ended the best season of her career ranked No. 2.

Continuing Success (2023-2024)

She started 2023 with two victories in Adelaide International 1. She was defeated in the semifinals. In mid-January, she competed in the Australian Open. After a break for knee surgery, she returned in March.

Jabeur at Wimbledon, 2023

In April, she won the Charleston Open. She defeated Belinda Bencic in the final. She reached the final without losing a set. She had to retire from a semifinal match in Stuttgart due to a calf injury. This injury also made her miss defending her title at the Madrid Open.

At Roland Garros, she reached the quarterfinals for the first time in her career at this tournament. She lost a tough match there. At Wimbledon, Ons eliminated four Grand Slam champions on her way to the final. These included Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitová, Elena Rybakina, and Aryna Sabalenka. However, she lost in the final to Markéta Vondroušová. She called this the "most painful loss" of her career.

She won her fifth title by defeating Diana Shnaider in the final of the 2023 Ningbo Open.

At the Australian Open, Ons lost in the second round to 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva. At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals for the second time in a row. She lost to Coco Gauff. She also reached the quarterfinals at the 2024 Nottingham Open and the 2024 Berlin Ladies Open. She went out in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Ons withdrew from the US Open due to a shoulder injury. This injury also forced her to end her season early in September. She plans to return to the court in Australia in 2025.

Representing Her Country

Fed Cup Team

Ons Jabeur played for Tunisia at the Junior Fed Cup in 2009. She won a doubles match with Nour Abbès. Tunisia finished 11th out of 16 teams.

Ons made her debut for the senior Fed Cup team for Tunisia in 2011. She played for the team from 2011 to 2013, and again from 2016 to 2019. She has a strong record of 24 wins and 5 losses in singles. Her 24 singles wins are tied for the most in Tunisia Fed Cup history. Tunisia was promoted to higher groups in 2012, 2013, and 2018. Ons won all her singles matches when the team was promoted.

Olympic Games

As a junior, Ons also represented Tunisia at the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore. She won two singles matches and one doubles match.

Ons also represented Tunisia in singles at the London Olympics in 2012, the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016, and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. She lost her first-round matches in all three Olympics.

Playing Style

Ons Jabeur is known for her varied and creative style of play. She likes to hit what she calls "crazy shots." She enjoys using difficult shots because that's how she likes to play tennis. She often uses slice shots and drop shots. Ons can hit winning shots in many ways. This includes backhand drop shots from the back of the court or forehands down the line. She enjoys playing on any type of court surface.

Coaches

Jabeur's backhand slice

When she was a junior, Ons was coached by Nabil Mlika until she was thirteen. In February 2018, Ons started working with Bertrand Perret. She felt he supported her unique playing style more than her past coaches. She said he helped her improve her good shots instead of trying to change her game. In early 2020, Ons switched coaches to Issam Jellali. He is a former Tunisian Davis Cup player. She had already been working with him for about three years.

Personal Life

Ons Jabeur is a Muslim. Sometimes, she has to change her practice schedule during tournaments because of Ramadan. She is married to Karim Kamoun. He is a Russian-Tunisian former fencer. He has been her fitness coach since mid-2017.

In 2017, Ons received a special grant from the Grand Slam Development Fund. This was just before the French Open, where she won her first two Grand Slam matches. In 2020, she became sponsored by Qatar Airways.

Ons won the 2019 Arab Woman of the Year Award in the sports category. This was after she reached the third round of the US Open and became a regular top 100 player. Ons is good friends with fellow tennis player Tatjana Maria. She calls her her "barbecue buddy."

Television and Film

Ons Jabeur is featured in the tennis TV show Break Point. It started on Netflix on January 13, 2023.

Sponsorships

In June 2015, Ons Jabeur signed a partnership with Qatar National Bank Tunisia. In 2018, she became an ambassador for HAVAL, a car brand. She was also sponsored by the Joossoor group. In December 2020, she was sponsored by the Tunisian phone company Tunisie Télécom. In February 2022, she signed a sponsorship with Talan, a consulting company.

She has also signed with Evolve, a sports management agency. It was started by four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

Sports Ownership

On August 25, 2023, Ons Jabeur bought a small part of the National Women's Soccer League club North Carolina Courage. She became the second professional tennis player to own a part of a soccer team. Naomi Osaka was the first.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Singles Performance Timeline

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 3 (3 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2022	Wimbledon	Grass	Elena Rybakina	6–3, 2–6, 2–6
Loss	2022	US Open	Hard	Iga Świątek	2–6, 6–7(5–7)
Loss	2023	Wimbledon	Grass	Markéta Vondroušová	4–6, 4–6

Honours and Awards

• Grand officer of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia (July 14, 2022)
• Named one of the BBC 100 Women as a role model for young tennis players (2022)

Images for kids

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  Jabeur on the cover of Tunivisions magazine, July 2011, celebrating her 2011 French Open for girls victory.

• Ons Jabeur (52206896210).jpg

  Ons Jabeur with Kate Middleton, then the Duchess of Cambridge, at Wimbledon.

See also

In Spanish: Ons Jabeur para niños