Comment WIMBLEDON, England — Several waves of good feeling swept through Center Court Thursday afternoon that got complicated until they unraveled, not that anyone with a heart minded. Suddenly and all in a powerful hug on the net that piled up: the latest possibility in an impossible story, the extension of possibility to new areas of the world, a towering display of sport and a mother of two who hopes other women can see her and gain a little more sense. Ons Jabeur, 27, went from remarkable to more remarkable as she became the first Arab and the first African in a Grand Slam final when she beat dear friend Tatjana Maria of Germany, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. She and Maria, 34, shared a long hug in the net, and then Jabeur, forgoing the usual winner’s curtain call alone on the court, led Maria out there with her by the hand so the crowd could give them both a standing ovation. Jabeur then praised Maria in an on-court interview for, among other things, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal after giving birth twice. Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon with an abdominal injury He lit up new worlds in the world — if Jabeur hadn’t already done so by winning a major second tier in Madrid this year and reaching No. 2 in the world. He helped set up an internationals final that would have seemed fantastic a generation ago: Tunisia vs. Kazakhstan. That’s because Jabeur will play Elena Rybakina, the 23-year-old Russian who took Kazakhstan’s nationality in 2018 and dominated 2019 champion Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3, in the other semifinal on Saturday. “I want to grow, to inspire many more generations,” Jabeur said at her press conference. “Tunisia is connected to the Arab world, it is connected to the African continent. In the region, we want to see more players. It is not like Europe or other countries. I want to see more players from my country, from the Middle East, from Africa. I think we didn’t believe enough at some point that we can do it. Now I’m just trying to show it. Hopefully people are inspired.” Tunisia, the small North African country of 12 million with a storied history in soccer and the Olympics, remained a bright spot in the tennis world when Jabeur picked up a racket at age 3 at the encouragement of her mother, Samira, in her hometown Ksar Hellal. near the shores of the Mediterranean. By the age of 9, Jabeur had moved an hour away with her family to Sousse, also on the coast, and the girl was telling people she aimed to win the French Open someday. “Everybody laughed at me,” he said Thursday. At the age of 13, she had gone to the capital, Tunis, to train at a national sports academy and by 16 had won the French Open junior singles title. By the end of 2017, it had reached the top 100. by the end of 2020, the top 50. and by the end of 2021, the top 10, up there in her country’s history with sports stars such as four-time Olympic medalist Mohammed Gammoudi (men’s track and field), London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Habiba Ghribi (women’s steeplechase) and Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Marwa Amri (women’s wrestling), not to mention the Tunisian men’s soccer team poised to go to the World Cup for a sixth time. Jabeur joined that pantheon with a smart game that boasts a full arsenal of shots (all on display Thursday) and one substance that made her something else: beloved. Maria referred to her at different times as “such a great person” and “an amazing person” and “a really open person” and as the quarter-final here ended on Tuesday, the Czech Republic’s Marie Buzkova welcomed Jabber with quite open arms steps. before the hug. “He’s number two in the world,” Maria said, “and he’s still the same person he was many years ago.” In her country, she has a nickname: “Minister of Happiness”. The Wimbledon ban and the coronavirus opened the door for new faces “Yeah, I mean, it’s nice to be called that,” he said Thursday. “It’s really incredible. Maybe they are thinking of having a minister of happiness. It’s funny because [an] The real minister calls me, “Hello, minister.” Its funny. Times are tough in Tunisia sometimes. When they see my matches, always say that sport brings people together. I’m glad they follow me. They push me to do better. I hope I can keep it [minister] title forever.” It seemed almost cruel, then, that her first Grand Slam semifinal after two previous quarterfinals found her facing Maria, a 103rd-ranked player who considers Jabeur “part of the family.” So when they finished, after Jabeur had played the kind of masterful third set a strong mind can muster – 10 winners, three unforced errors – they hugged and Maria said, “I’m so happy for you.” They passed together, not apart, and Maria waved away amid cheers. “He’s got to make me a barbecue now,” Jabber soon told the crowd, “to make up for all the running around.” And: “I like to see Tatjana like this on the court and let’s not play again.” And, in high spirits: “I am a proud Tunisian standing here today. I know in Tunisia they are going crazy right now.” Then friendship and sports continued, because Jabeur was involved with Maria: “If I did not see her two children, I would say that she never had children. It’s amazing how he moves on the court. It’s really inspiring for a lot of women.” “Yes, I hope I can send that message,” Maria said, “that I have two children and I’m on this stage. I think anything is possible. I’m 34 years old with two kids and I’m playing my first Wimbledon semi-final… Even with a family, you can have a career and keep going.” Then back to the topic of the winner: “I mean, she’s also such an inspiration, yeah, to a lot of women on this planet.” She, Jabeur, has conquered her initial ascent by further ascent. She has talked here about her spiritual coach, about meditation, about better breath work. “I talk a lot about how it’s nice to get the emotions out, all the stress,” she said. “It is very important.” She spoke Thursday about childhood heroes Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick and recent mentor Billie Jean King. “She always tells me ‘one ball at a time’ and focus on that,” Jabeur said, adding shortly, “I always remember her during the game when the score is like I’m behind or something.” However, until last Wimbledon, when she reached the quarter-finals by defeating Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza and Iga Swiatek, she did not have the Wimbledon dream. (The French Open, you know.) Then on Thursday, he took a deciding set in a semifinal and roared to a 5-0 lead with just one game to go. She then sat down, wiped her face and adjusted her headband as the chair umpire customarily said after the changes, “Time.” He went out, and two games later, he may well have meant time for new kingdoms in the world — or time for, like King, another pioneer.
