There is always one player that haunts the other in terms of performance and toppling their challenge. Even someone as talented as Ons Jabeur hasn’t escaped that possibility and she wasn’t shy to disclose the name of the WTA contestant who made her go circles on the court.
Jabeur, 30, although a feisty competitor on the tour, faced difficulties achieving her top form recently. Marred with a shoulder injury and asthma flare-ups last year, the Tunisian star fell outside the top 30 amid fitness concerns. She commenced the 2025 season in Brisbane and despite her valiant efforts; she finished quarterfinalist. Jetting to Adelaide didn’t play in her favour either and later, hopes for a successful campaign at the Australian Open came crashing after she suffered a third-round exit.
Before signing in for the Australian hardcourt swing earlier in January, the former Wimbledon runner-up joined the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast, hosted by former American players Sam Querry, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, and John Isner. During a conversation, the Tunisian sensation was asked to name a WTA player who holds the potential to clinch their maiden Slam title in 2025. To much surprise, she named 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva as a potential Slam-winning candidate.
Seeing as the young gun made waves with her impressive performances against top talents (and Jabeur) on the tour last year, the Tunisian player claimed that she could win a Major in the future. She said, “I see Andreeva. Maybe not 2025 or 2026 but in the future. I played her once, and she really kicked my a** in the Australian Open last year.”
For those unaware, Andreeva stunned the 30-year-old at the Melbourne Slam in 2024, and after her podcast response was recorded, the Russian sensation breezed past Jabeur once again in Brisbane. As a result, she trails 0-2 in her head-to-head against the Andreeva.
Moreover, Jabeur also named the most intimidating rivals she’s faced on the circuit during the podcast.
Ons Jabeur says Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka are the most intimidating rivals on the WTA
During a conversation on the same podcast episode, Tunisian superstar Ons Jabeur also named the most intimidating players she has locked horns with on the tour. Surfing the list came American Coco Gauff, Polish Iga Swiatek, and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. A regular opponent for Gauff and Swiatek, the Tunisian star spoke about the challenges of facing both Major champions.
“There are a lot. I think Iga is a pretty solid player. She does not give you any free points, which is kind of difficult to play against,” Jabeur said of World No. 3 Gauff. “Coco is amazing too, she plays unbelievable tennis. There are a lot of solid players where you have to be, if not 100%, very close to it to play on that day.”
She also addressed clashing against World No. 1 Sabalenka, revealing that she “used to hate” playing against her after struggling to find her momentum against the Belarusian’s groundstroke pace. “I used to hate playing against Aryna, because the way she hits the ball, I basically could not see it, and I get frustrated by the speed of the ball.” Regardless, the Tunisian trailblazer registered one of her biggest upsets over the WTA ranking leader after registering a comeback victory against Sabalenka in the SF of the 2023 Wimbledon.
Poised to restore her ranking status, Jabeur will next take her affairs to the Abu Dhabi Open this week, where she is slated to square off against eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round.
The post “Kicked My A**” – Ons Jabeur Labels 17-Year-Old WTA Star as Top Slam Contender as She Recalls Harrowing Past appeared first on EssentiallySports.