Wimbledon: Ons Jabeur out to have some fun on grass
A promising start to her clay court swing fizzled out for Ons Jabeur but she is ready to hit the grass court with the hope of improving her record on the surface.
Jabeur said she needs to look at playing on grass as a fun game, in order to rise to the challenge of the transition.
After the withdrawal of World No 1 Iga Swiatek, Jabeur is the top seed for the Berlin Open and enjoyed a run to the quarterfinal at Wimbledon last season.
She is just out to enjoy herself in Berlin though: “I feel like I have a great relationship with grass.
“As soon as I find my timing, how to adapt to my shots, it becomes much better and I feel like I will be enjoying much more my time on grass.
“I like to see grass as a fun game because it’s much different from other surfaces. When I see it that way, I play much better.”
Jabeur believes that mentality plays a big role in unlocking success on grass.
“If you believe you can play good on grass, then you can,” Jabeur said.
“If you have a hate relationship with grass, then it’s not going to help.
“I think grass could suit a lot of players. For example, players who hit flat and hard, it’s tough to return the balls.
“Other players, like myself, who change the rhythm, they slice, they make you visit all the corners of the court, they can play really good on grass.
“So you need to be ready on your legs and prepare your reaction very well.”
Jabeur hopes to use her French Open disappointment as a motivator to reach her goals for the 2022 season.
“I feel like the goals I set for myself,” Jabeur said. “I want to be Top 5, I want to win more titles. I want to be No.1 one day. I have to go through this.
“What happened at the French Open taught me a lot to maybe have a better schedule next time or handle the pressure much better for sure. But it’s the part of the process, part of the goals that I want to achieve. I have to accept those kinds of challenges because that’s where I want to go in my career.
“Wimbledon is one of my main goals that I put in my mind from the beginning of the year. It feels good to be back on a surface that I love so much. I try to put off the pressure a little bit. Being seeded No.1 here didn’t help much. Didn’t expect that, to be honest with you.”
