‘It’s her time’ – Ons Jabeur backed for Wimbledon glory by experts
Former world No 7 Barbara Schett has praised the mental strength of Ons Jabeur and believes it is “her time” to make her Grand Slam breakthrough.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander highlighted Jabeur’s aggressive approach as the key to her success and feels the Tunisian is a “very heavy favourite” to win the Wimbledon title.
Jabeur will face world No 42 Marketa Vondrousova in the 2023 Wimbledon women’s singles final today. The 28-year-old will be competing in her third major final, having lost in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek respectively.
In a rematch of the 2022 title match, Jabeur came from a set down to defeat world No 3 Rybakina in the quarter-finals. She then recovered from a set and a break down to overcome world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four on Thursday.
Schett, a three-time titlist on the WTA Tour, lauded the resilience the Tunisian displayed in her semi-final triumph over Sabalenka.
“What a performance it was from Ons. Especially after losing the first set being down 4-2, she managed to turn it around,” the Austrian told Eurosport.
“I was in awe the way she was returning, the way she dealt with the power shots of Aryna Sabalenka and also she moved extremely well and her mindset, it’s so different here in Wimbledon this year.
“It shows you how strong she is mentally and she said it as well after losing the first set, she took all that anger together and moved into some positive thinking and that’s why she won the match as well.
“She wants to grab her first Grand Slam title. At the beginning of the year, she was struggling with so many injuries. Now, she has found her form. She’s playing some of her best tennis and with that combination of being mentally so strong as well. I think it’s her time.”
Former world No 1 Wilander discussed Jabeur’s tactical approach during her run and identified Saturday’s final as a huge opportunity for the 28-year-old.
“The big difference with her is that the intensity is higher all the time and the way that comes out in her game is that she becomes more aggressive. She’s hungrier on the ball and she’s hitting less finesse shots,” said the Swede.
“I think she’s shown everybody, she’s shown the locker room, but she’s also shown herself what she needs to do and what she’s capable of doing when she steps in and becomes aggressive.
“This is easily the one that she has the most chance on paper. The way that she has played, I would say that she’s in better form now than she was in those two slams last year. She will go in as a very heavy favourite.”
Jabeur is looking to become the first Arab or African woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.
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