Ons Jabeur Needs A Panic Room As Another Major Eludes Her

Tunisia’s unofficial ‘Minister of Happiness’ looked like she had resigned from her post on ladies’ singles finals day at Wimbledon. Ons Jabeur normally brings vivacity and connection on the court, but when she walked to the net after being beaten in straight sets by the excellent unseeded Markéta Vondroušová, the sixth seed was understandably empty inside. Her third straight defeat in a major final was a cruel public torture. The decency of her opponent was the only saving grace.

Losers in Wimbledon finals are always crestfallen. That’s a given. However, Jabeur has now bared her broken soul twice on Centre Court in the space of twelve months. In the 2022 final, she started like a winner, bursting with creative artistry in winning the first set against Elena Ryabinka. Inexplicably, she crumbled in the next two sets. It was hard, but her disappointment was manageable as it was the Tunisian’s first Grand Slam denouement. She would learn to handle negative emotions if such a scenario presented itself again. Unfortunately, sport is brutal and doesn’t hand out sentimental gifts.

Jabeur is not your average tennis player. She has taken the game to a new level of interest in a football-obsessed country torn by an economic and refugee crisis. After losing to Ryabinka last year, she was welcomed like a hero at her home airport. The 28-year-old had become the first North-African and Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final. President Saied presented the player with the National Order of Merit, describing her as the ideal “image of Tunisian youth and Tunisian women who have overcome challenges.”

Jabeur wears the badge of honour with warmth and humility. She doesn’t need any guidance in dealing with the fans or the media because of her natural ability to engage both on and off the court. She’s widely liked, even loved, by her opponents. She always has the crowd onside and plays an animated and accessible old-fashioned game of spin and slice.

When it comes to winning the big one, she cannot find herself. Everything becomes repressed. It’s a massive burden and no fun carrying the hopes of a continent, a country, herself and correcting those missed opportunities. It sucks. The body language suddenly becomes a weight that sinks her serenity. Unless she wins a major, Jabeur’s cordiality may be corroded.

What makes this defeat all the more crushing is that the world number six had looked so businesslike in overcoming two major obstacles. Jabeur got “revenge” on the 2022 champion Ryabinka in the quarter-finals and overcame US Open Champion Aryna Sabalaenka in the semis. All the hard work was done.

Her game face and mental resilience were top-notch as both games were played in extremis. There were no emotional dramas or poor body language even at one set and 2-4 down on Thursday against the Belarusian. Saturday’s lifeless 6-4 6-4 defeat was a dreadful step back into the suppression of a former free spirit.

“Play as if it means nothing, when it means everything,” snooker legend Steve Davis, a six-time world champion, once said. This is the perfect state of freedom for one-on -one finals where those that can find themselves within the external pressure can truly shine. Immediately after the defeat to Vondroušová, Billie Jean King was asked by BBC’s Clare Balding what advice she would provide to the three-time Grand Slam runner-up. “Calm down,” came the reply.

“I’m learning to turn the bad energy into good energy. I dug deep to win this match and hopefully this tournament,” Jabeur said after defeating Sabalenka. It is a sad reality that she loses her personality only on the 13th day of a Grand Slam. That leads to an edginess, a doubt, frozen footwork and sends out a loud signal to opponents that she isn’t there to own the stage.

The power of a crowd that, by and large, had clearly come for one result was not harnessed. Jabeur has all the core skills and the composure to negotiate the two weeks of a major championship. Statistically, players can lose two or three finals in a row. It doesn’t have to be a problem.

Unfortunately, Grand Slam business days are overwhelming Jabeur and her natural ability. It doesn’t matter if 90 per cent of the audience onsite is cheering her on. Jabeur is too wrapped up in her demons to use it. When she lost to Iga Swiatek at the US Open, there were 33 unforced errors. Against Vondroušová, there were 31.

The defeated finalist was as honest as the day is long. Saturday would have been a very long day. “I think this is the most painful loss of my career,” she said immediately after the shock. The tears flowed as they had for Jana Novotna three decades earlier when the Czech ceded a 4-1 lead in the deciding set.

Wimbledon was there to win. Again. Jabeur was within a point of going 3-0 up in the first set and found herself 3-1 up in the second. Yet her belief or independence never seemed to be there, even when the scoreline was favourable. After the raw, initial pain reduces a little over time, the Tunisian will have to climb Everest to win at SW19 or any Grand Slam.

The pressure now will be almost intolerable until Jabeur feels she has nothing to lose. Attack is the best form of defence when vulnerability becomes transparent. Sadly, Jabeur’s weakness in finals is there to be hunted.