After losing out on the real thing, she quickly deleted it, but she will have another chance on Saturday when she takes on Marketa Vondrousova in the championship match (14:00 BST).
In order to become the first African or Arab woman to win a Grand Slam singles trophy, the well-liked Tunisian is hoping her third major final turns out to be fortuitous.
She said, “I hope I can make history, not just for Tunisia, but for Africa.”
Similar to last year, Jabeur, the sixth seed, is favored going into the women’s final. The 42nd-ranked Vondrousova will compete against the 28-year-old, who is attempting to make history by defeating Vondrousova and becoming the first unseeded player to win the Venus Rosewater Dish.
When Jabeur lost to Elena Rybakina last year, Vondrousova, 24, was in London as a tourist with her wrist in a plaster cast due to the six-month recovery period from surgery.
“I simply feel so blessed to be here. That what is happening is absurd, said Vondrousova.
The Czech, like Jabeur, who lost in the US Open final two months after her Wimbledon setback, has past Grand Slam final experience to draw from. The Czech finished second in the 2019 French Open when she was 19 years old.
Only one player from an African country has ever won a Slam singles championship during the Open era; that player was South Africa’s Johan Kriek at the 1981 Australian Open. A year later, Kriek triumphed once more, albeit this time he was competing for the United States.
Jabeur has exploited her desire for vengeance at the All England Club to defeat Rybakina in the quarterfinals as she strives to become the first woman from the continent to win.In order to reach the final, Jabeur had to overcome four Grand Slam champions, including the Kazakh. She also had to defeat Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, Petra Kvitova, and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion.
Whether you are up against a major champion or not doesn’t matter in the final, according to her.
Jabeur stated, “I believe a final is a final. “Whoever could handle more of the emotions, whoever could be more ready on the court, will definitely win that match.”
Jabeur’s journey to yet another major final took place during a stop-start season in which she struggled with injuries and underwent minor knee surgery.
She sees the benefits from those difficulties and last year’s disappointments, which is typical of a player dubbed as the “Minister of Happiness” at home.
“[The injuries] teach me how to be very patient and accept whatever happened to me… because it was out of my control,” the woman stated.
“I mean, if you told me you [would] get hurt and be in the Wimbledon final, I would take it,” the speaker said.
Jabeur, whose heartfelt performances have garnered her a devoted following, is likewise hopeful that third time will be the charm.
I’m going to take a lot out from the Wimbledon final and the US Open final, and I’m going to give it my all, she said. “Perhaps this year was all about giving something a shot twice and nailing it on the third try.”
She has also disclosed what is on her phone’s lock screen to spur her on this time around, maybe to prevent casting a spell. She told reporters: “You’ll find out after the final.”
In the previous two rounds, Vondrousova had to overcome challenging opposition. She defeated fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals before defeating Elina Svitolina in two sets. The later match was played in front of a partisan Centre Court audience that was emotionally invested in Ukrainian Svitolina’s victory given that it occurred nine months after her delivery and against a background of conflict.
She joins a lengthy list of Czech tennis players who have competed in Grand Slam finals, with the country sending players to nine major women’s singles finals in the past ten years, including Saturday’s encounter.
However, grass is not her best surface and is not one where she would have anticipated winning a major championship.
Vondrousova, who has recently been so far beneath the tennis radar that she no longer has a clothing sponsor, stated that “when it was clay or hard, maybe I would say, yeah maybe it’s possible.”
But for me, grass was impossible. The fact that this is taking place is more stranger.
She advised her husband to stay at home in Prague to take care of their cat, Frankie, because her run was so unexpected.
Now, she has a new perspective.
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