Looking for a refresh in Cincinnati, Ons Jabeur isn’t over her Wimbledon finals defeat

FLASHBACK: Jabeur got support from Kim Clijsters following her Wimbledon defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Tennis players are expected to have short memories. The ten-month grind of the tour calendar prevents the lengthy celebration of victory and requires a quick recovery from defeat, lest the sport move on without you.

Still haunted by her loss in the finals of Wimbledon, Ons Jabeur is forced, then, to play catch up at the Western & Southern Open after creating some space between herself and the circuit this summer.

“I had to take a few days—or a lot of days!—off to recover, and it still wasn’t enough,” she admitted during her Media Day press conference on Sunday. “I wasn’t feeling ready to play Montréal because that loss was kind of tough for me. I tried to stay home and be with my family.”

The tennis world, led by idol Andy Roddick, began rallying around Jabeur while she was still on Centre Court. Playing her third Grand Slam final—and second in a row at Wimbledon—the heavily-favored fan-favorite suffered a 6-4, 6-4 meltdown to Marketa Vondrousova, a result that reduced the emotional Tunisian to tears as her runner-up trophy proved little comfort.

“I’m still happy that I made it to the final, obviously. If you ask any other play to take three Grand Slam finals, they would take it right away,” she tries to tell herself in Cincinnati.

“I see the support from the fans here and it’s really unbelievable to see them supporting me all the time, but I’m definitely coming as a different person to this tournament. I’m in a different position, I’ve got to say. But I’m just going to keep being myself, trying to play better on hard courts and see what’s going to happen.”

For me, the key is to not be afraid, go play another final. And if I lose another final? It’s ok. I’m going to go there, I’m going to fight, and that’s the spirit I’m going to go with. Ons Jabeur

Hard courts proved fertile ground last summer for Jabeur, who first peaked at No. 2 in the rankings after winning her first WTA 1000 title on clay in Madrid, but a US Open final loss to Iga Swiatek foreshadowed the 28-year-old’s tendency towards nerves in major championship matches. Famed for her feel and ability to improvise, the pressure of the moment muffles her instincts and renders her paralyzed when she needs most to feel free.

The player who instead arrived to court on that rainy Sunday afternoon was a shadow of the disciplined competitor who survived Aryna Sabalenka from a set and a break down in the semifinal, one who hit herself off the court against a far steadier Vondrousova in 80 minutes.

“I tried to reflect a bit on the final, but for now, I’ve got to be honest: it’s still tough to think about it again.”

Unwilling to dwell on specific symptoms, Jabeur is at least able to diagnose the larger illness, one she will need to cure if she has any hope of recovering from a moment that has sent players as talented as her into protracted slumps.

“I believe the key here is to not be afraid to play any more finals,” she resolves. “You arrive to a certain stage, and maybe your brain will shut in the semifinals and you feel like, ‘I’m not ready to play,’ and your mind just takes over. But for me, the key is to not be afraid, go play another final. And if I lose another final? It’s ok. I’m going to go there, I’m going to fight, and that’s the spirit I’m going to go with.

“I believe I have the level to be a Grand Slam champion,” she continues, building confidence at the dais, “and I believe I can be one of the greatest players. But if it’s going to take time, then I’m there.

“You know, everything takes time with me, unfortunately! But maybe it’s a good thing, you never know. I’m taking it one day at a time, trying to unlock things that maybe it’s too early to unlock them. Maybe it’s too early for me to know them yet, but I know I’m going in the right way, and I have a supportive team behind me, pushing me to be the best.”

Seeded No. 5 in Cincinnati, an event where she has reached the quarterfinals just once—and that was in 2020, when the tournament was held in Flushing Meadows as part of a pandemic double—Jabeur has found a few short-term solutions that she hopes will help create further distance between herself and crushing disappointment.

“I’m definitely not giving up; that’s something that I’m very sure about it, that I’m going to give my best every time I step out on the tennis court is going to be 100%. I feel like now I’m starting to really focus on the smallest details, like even where my thumb is holding the racquet.

“I’m trying to be perfect on the tennis court, which I know is difficult, but I’m trying to do it now.”

Perfection is not often a hallmark of Jabeur’s style, which typically favors audacity over elegance. But perhaps a focus on technique may streamline, rather than smother, her unparalleled court sense, and be exactly what she needs to take that final step to a Grand Slam trophy.