"The nicest person I've ever met": Happy 30th Birthday, Ons Jabeur!

NEW YORK—The US Open is well underway with a round of singles action complete. One notable face, however, is MIA in NYC: the sport’s resident Minister of Happiness.

Today, Ons Jabeur turns 30. As she's established herself on the WTA Tour, the trailblazing athlete has proven to resonate with both fans around the world and her fellow competitors. It's a testament to Jabeur never losing sight of who she is at her core.

“Even as a kid, I'm a very open person. I think I just say whatever comes to my mind. I just feel like it's not good to keep our emotions inside. It's better to let them out and accept them,” Jabeur told us during Tennis Channel’s specialty shoot earlier this year at Indian Wells. “For me, honesty is a key for a lot of relationships. It's much healthier for myself.”

On that front, we asked a few of Jabeur’s peers to open up about the Tunisian.

Reflected four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, “She’s probably the nicest person I've ever met on tour. I first interacted with her because we did WTA Rising Stars. I don't even know how many years ago that was, but I was very introverted, way more introverted than I am now. She made it an effort to come talk to me every day, and I'll never forget that.

“I'll always have so much love in my heart for her. I think she just is the type that always wants to make sure everyone else is okay.”

“I think Ons is one of the inspirational players because she stands for what she believes in, and I think this is always a very strong quality,” said Marta Kostyuk. “It's really nice to see her succeed, playing three Grand Slam finals. I know she's sad that she couldn't win one yet, but yeah, I really hope for her that she can win one day and all the best. She's really a nice person.”

She’s probably the nicest person I've ever met on tour... She made it an effort to come talk to me every day (at WTA Rising Stars) and I'll never forget that. Naomi Osaka

Echoed Tatjana Maria, “I think she's open. She's fighting also a lot for us, the players. She's doing a lot to improve the WTA at the end. And I think that is what makes her also great, that she fights for the other players. She tries everything.”

Victoria Azarenka remembers thinking, “Who is this girl?” when she first shared a court with Jabeur back in 2012. The two have since become good friends, with Jabeur’s inner child coming out for obvious reasons.

“She's very funny. She loves kids and she loves my son. They always play,” says Azarenka. “It has actually been incredible the way she's been able to build herself and bring that awareness for the region and for Tunisia, kind of being this role model for young girls that have a different culture. And I love that about her. She's always staying true to herself.”

When Daria Saville was asked to provide a memory with Jabeur, she couldn’t help but be cynical—cough, cough—in responding. For it’s an authentic tribute to her pal.

“Ons did not make any efforts to be friends with me, so it's been a tough journey. I'm turning 30 apparently before her and she's stealing all the thunder,” joked the Australian at February’s San Diego event. “I like her sarcasm, so with how I went with this interview, she would understand me, she'll get it.

“She is someone that you can easily approach and if you ever need help, she will be there for you. So I definitely appreciate that.”

Happy Birthday, Ons!