It’s one thing to carry a nation’s burdens on your back. It is a whole continent to Ons Jabeur.
The Tunisian pioneer made history at Wimbledon last year by becoming the first African and Arab woman to play in a Grand Slam final during the Open Era.
Elena Rybakina battled back fiercely to deny Jabeur her first major championship after she had won the opening set and appeared to be on the point of making further history.
It was fitting, then, that Jabeur would meet Rybakina at Wimbledon again this year, getting revenge in the last eight before booking her place in Saturday’s final.
That has allowed Jabeur to have a second shot of writing her name in the history books as she bids to become Africa’s first Grand Slam women’s singles champion.
Not only that, but if she does lift the trophy at this year’s Championships, Jabeur will also become the first Arab Grand Slam winner across both men’s and women’s tennis.
‘For me there is one goal: I’m going for it,’ Jabeur said. ‘I will prepare 100% per cent. Hopefully I can make history not just for Tunisia, but for Africa.’
Jabeur, the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP rankings history, is not only loved in Africa and Tunisia though.
The 28-year-old sixth-seed, dubbed the ‘Minister of Happiness’, has become a fan favourite across the globe and is adored by the Wimbledon crowds for her ability and grace on the court as well as her shining personality off it.
Jabeur has produced some stellar results on her way to Saturday’s final and she is the first woman to defeat three top 10 players at Wimbledon since Serena Williams 11 years ago.
Her impressive run in 2023 has seen her beat two-time champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets as well as comeback victories over both current champion Rybakina and world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka – the latter arguably the favourite for the title.
Jabeur’s popularity has soared even further since starring on Netflix tennis documentary Break Point but there is one player left standing in her way in SW19.
That woman is Czech world No.42 Marketa Vondrousova, who is looking to create her own history.
Vondrousova is attempting to become the first-ever unseeded Wimbledon champion in women’s singles and is already the second-lowest ranked player to reach the final of the tournament since the WTA rankings were introduced.
Like Jabeur, Vondrousova is seeking the first Grand Slam title of her career and has also played in big finals – with a runner-up finish at the French Open in 2019 before a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Vondrousova has normally found it more difficult on grass than Jabeur but has made tweaks to her game and everything has clicked for her this year with the 24-year-old beating four seeded players in a row on her way to the last four.
That run included a stunning victory over fourth-seed Jessica Pegula while in the semi-finals she eliminated Elina Svitolina – the player who knocked out world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
Vondrousova has the upper hand in recent battles against Jabeur, too, beating the North African at the Australian Open and Indian Wells this year.
Overall, Vondrousova and Jabeur have played each other six times and their head-to-head record is locked at 3-3 ahead of their Centre Court showdown.
Jabeur heads in as the heavy favourite due to her higher ranking, better suitability to grass courts and superior results at previous Wimbledon tournaments but Vondrousova has already proven that it would be foolish to write her off.
‘When I saw the draw, it wasn’t easy,’ Vondrousova said about her run to the final. ‘I was like, ‘Let’s try’ – I beat Kudermetova, Vekic. They are great on grass. I was like, ‘Okay, maybe, you know, I’ll get better and I can do something here’ – for me it’s really crazy this is happening. But I think anything can happen in tennis.’
It will be a fascinating encounter between two stars who are known for their drop shots and slices and Vondrousova has admitted that she sees being a left-handed player as as advantage against Jabeur, who plays with her right.
Whoever wins, Wimbledon chiefs can breathe a sigh of relief that there will not be a Russian or Belarusian women’s champion.
The All England Club banned players from those nations from last year’s Championships amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and tournament organisers were concerned over the idea of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, handing this year’s trophy to a Russian or Belarusian.
Belarus star Sabalenka crashed out in the last four, though, meaning the 2023 champion will be a Tunisian or a Czech, as Jabeur and Vondrousova look to come out on top in a women’s singles final that will be historic no matter the outcome.