Ons Jabeur admits to taking INSPIRATION from Venus Williams mid-match at Cincinnati to cross the finish line against Anhelina Kalinina

Ons Jabeur shares how Venus Williams comeback against Anhelina Kalinina in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters impacted her.

Ons Jabeur admits to taking INSPIRATION from Venus Williams mid-match at Cincinnati to cross the finish line against Anhelina Kalinina

Ons Jabeur and Venus Williams. (credits: Sporting News)

Seeded fifth at the ongoing Cincinnati Masters, Ons Jabeur has marked her start to the tournament in fine fashion. Rising from Tunisia, she is regarded as the people’s champion and has been a huge symbolic figure in the past few months following her Wimbledon loss against champion Marketa Vondorusova. She lost back-to-back Grand Slam finals, once at Roland Garros and then at the All England Club.

After starting her campaign at Cincinnati with a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 win over Anhelina Kalinina, she was asked to talk about what ignited her spirits to make a return to the match and finally bag the win. Surprisingly, the tennis professional talked about Venus Williams‘s performance the previous day against Veronika Kudermetova, which she won by 6-4, 7-5 after going down 5-1 in the second set. 

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When asked if she prefers winning the match in straight sets or the hard way, Ons said she likes pushing herself more and winning the hard way. She added, “Honestly, I thought about Venus a lot during the match; she back from 5-1 yesterday, two breaks down, and I was like, wow, if she can do it, then it is possible. I have a lot of respect for her, and I admire her a lot. I am really thankful she is still playing. I hope she keeps going, never stops.”

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How has Ons turned herself into the “people’s champ”?

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Ons Jabeur celebrates in delight after winning a match. (credits: CNN)

Ons Jabeur has received a lot of love from supporters all over the world ever since she turned pro. She is one of the very few players in the world who plays tennis not only out of passion but also to send messages across the world. She has already made it clear in the past that she wants to be the player who opens the door for many other Muslim girls from her hometown and other Islamic countries to enter the sport.

Having lost three Grand Slam finals in the space of just ten months, she was completely distraught at her third final in Wimbledon, with sympathy and support being showered over her all through the world. Again at the ongoing Cincinnati match, it was made clear by the pundits that it was her match so far down the competition that drew the most crowds and was a fully packed stadium.

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