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Quote of the Day: Ons Jabeur is putting her husband (and fitness coach) to work tonight

She didn’t get the nickname “Minister of Happiness” for nothing, and even after a tough three-setter Jabeur left fans roaring with laughter during her on-court interview.

ByBaseline Staff

Published Jan 17, 2023

WATCH: Ons Jabeur defeats Tamara Zidansek in the 2023 Australian Open first round

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World No. 2 Ons Jabeur dodged the so-called ‘Netflix curse’ on Tuesday night, avoiding an upset at the hands of an inspired Tamara Zidansek.

The second seed had to fight through two tight sets before cruising in the third to emerge victorious 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 and get her Australian Open campaign off to a winning start.

But after a grueling two hours and 17 minutes under the roof at Rod Laver Arena, Jabeur told on-court interviewer Casey Dellacqua, all she wanted was an ice bath and a long massage… from her husband.

Get your minds out of the gutter right now, because our Baseline Quote of The Day came straight from the office of Tunisia's Minister of Happiness:

Q: It was a long match, late into the night. The recovery now: What does that look like? Is the ice bath part of the recovery?

ONS JABEUR: Oh yeah, ice bath, and I’m going to make my husband work tonight. I’ll have a lot of massage, and good recovery.

Crowd: (Roaring laughter and whistles)

JABEUR: Massage, guys! Massage! For those who don't know, my husband is also my fitness coach and does everything for me."

Of course, fans of Netflix’s new tennis docuseries Break Point will know all about Jabeur’s all-Tunisian team dynamics.

During Episode 4, which revolved around her run to the 2022 Madrid title, the 28-year-old was proud to highlight her coach Isaam Jellali and husband Karim Kamoun, who has been her fitness coach since 2017.

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Viewers heard the moving story of a young Jabeur who, after struggling to break through in pro tennis in Tunisia while balancing finances, asked her husband to travel with her full time.

“I need to help my wife. Her dream is my dream,” Kamoun told Netflix cameras, recalling his choice to drop everything and join her on tour.

And so far it’s worked out, with Jabeur reaching two historic Grand Slam finals and rising to a career-high world No. 2 ranking during her breakthrough 2022 season. She’s started the new year on a roll too, reaching the semifinals in her first tournament in Adelaide.

Jabeur, who made the Australian Open semifinals in 2020, will await the winner of Alison Riske-Amritraj and Marketa Vondrousova in the second round.