Ons Jabeur ‘haunted by fear’ as she reveals baby plan added to Wimbledon heartbreak

Ons Jabeur was in tears on Wimbledon’s Centre Court last summer as she lost her second successive final at The Championships.

Now the Tunisian star has revealed why her defeat against Marketa Vondrousova in the Wimbledon final was such an emotional moment, as she revealed that may have been her final match if she had won it.

Vondrousova defeated favourite Jabeur in straight sets to make history as the first unseeded women’s singles champion at Wimbledon last July, with Jabeur’s tears on court after the loss given extra meaning now that she has explained her mindset during that match.

Jabeur has revealed the tears she shed with her partner Karim Kamoun were more personal than anyone imagined, as the couple were planning to start a family if that match had a different outcome.

“People think I have this pressure because I want to do it for other people, which is not true,” she says in a new documentary, This Is Me.

“There was a personal thing going on there. I win that Wimbledon final, I could have a baby right away. And that dream faded.

“I was haunted by fear. After all I’m just a human being, what can I do more? It was the toughest loss of my career because emotionally it destroyed me, not only winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby just vanished with the trophy of Wimbledon.

“It was the toughest loss of my career because emotionally it destroyed me, not only winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby just vanished with the trophy of Wimbledon. So I think that’s what killed me and Karim, we were crying like babies.”

The film is ready! My last 9 months has been dedicated to Producing a film about @Ons_Jabeur who battled against the odds to reach the Wimbledon Final – then lost it. But that is only a tiny part of her story.
Hugely proud of what we’ve achieved, this is a taster of what’s coming pic.twitter.com/cfIzo65w4B

— Matt Critchley (@MattCritchley1) December 28, 2023

Jabeur also chronicles a major health scare she suffered at last year’s Australian Open, after a defeat against Vondrousova.

The tennis star had a large nodule that was preventing oxygen from getting to her lungs and and she was forced to undergo surgery to correct the problem.

“For once in my life I had to put myself in front of everyone, my health in front of everyone. That’s something I don’t think I’ve done a lot in my career,” she said.

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Jabeur also chronicles a ‘panic attack’ that she suffered ahead of last year’s Wimbledon final, with this film set to reveal so much more about an Arab sporting icon who has already broken down so many barriers in tennis.

“This is more than a sports documentary; it’s a compelling human story that transcends borders and resonates with audiences worldwide,” said John Paul McKerlie, VP of Marketing and Sales at TOD, who are screening the film in the Middle East region.

“We invite our MENA viewers to witness the unfiltered truth behind Ons Jabeur’s journey and be inspired by her resilience in the face of adversity.”

Jabeur’s willingness to open up about her struggles on and off the court makes her one of the more compelling figures in tennis and this new film looks set to cement her positon as a sports star who has reached out beyond the tennis court to a huge audience.