THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 27, 2022

Ons Jabeur

Press Conference

O. JABEUR/M. Bjorklund

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Ons, great to get the first win under your belt?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, pretty happy with the first win. Great match for me. Great start. Hopefully will be great start for other great matches for me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You finished your match in under an hour. Could you compare and contrast, or see how your mentality has changed since your last slam match in Paris, how much of that you changed yourself and how much of that was a little bit helped by playing with Serena in Eastbourne?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I don't like to make the mistake twice (smiling).

Like I said before, I learned a lot from the first round in Roland Garros. Obviously everything feels different here. I feel like more ready. Starting Monday not Sunday is much better for me. Let's say I opened the Court 1, and it was great.

I enjoy playing a lot on grass. Scheduling, playing few matches, just get the perfect amount of playing on grass was great.

Plus, you know, gaining more confidence playing along Serena also helped me with the great attitude on the court. Kind of start to be a leader on the court. That's what I'm trying to do. Trying to have that attitude.

Q. Is there any difference in the way you feel about yourself now that you've been moving up the rankings all the time, now No. 2 starting this week? Has that helped you to feel like you belong at this level?

ONS JABEUR: Yeah, I think I had a lot of matches. I've worked hard a lot. Struggling a bit before with the confidence. Tennis is a tricky sport. You can lose every week, which is not fun.

But the thing is, I wanted to be -- like I said before in the beginning of the season, I was like No. 10 and 9, I said, I belong in this ranking and I don't feel I deserve the spot to be maybe 5 or 4. Now I feel like I deserve it even more. I feel like I even gained and won matches to prove myself on this level.

Yeah, I do feel more confident. I do feel like I deserve to be in this level. Hopefully next step will be No. 1.

Q. What you said about the confidence you gained from last week, playing with Serena, is that to do with the fact that Serena hand-picked you to be her doubles partner? Is the confidence from something that happened during the matches? Just what you mentioned about learning to be a leader, did you feel like the leader in that partnership with Serena?

ONS JABEUR: No (laughter).

I think there is a lot of things. Like she picked me, I mean, that's a huge honor, great pressure for me to feel it. I feel like maybe two or three years ago, if she did the same thing, I would have played horribly and not able to handle that kind of pressure. But now I feel like it was the right time that I play with someone like Serena.

I always wanted - not just like doubles - but to practice with great players. I feel like I'm handling that much better. I didn't get the chance before to practice with -- I had a chance to practice with Venus before. First time I had a practice with Serena. I practiced with Halep, Azarenka, Grand Slam champions that give me that kind of confidence.

Sometimes they text me to practice with them, which is unbelievable. I didn't have that chance maybe few years back. I'm very grateful for that. I think that helps me a lot.

What was the other question? Sorry.

Q. How much of a leader you felt in that partnership.

ONS JABEUR: She's the queen on the court. I was just following her rules (smiling).

She made me feel very comfortable on the court and really inspired me right there.

Q. You're obviously now No. 2 in the world. Do you feel any pressure coming into Wimbledon? You were the last person to beat Iga Swiatek last here at Wimbledon. Does that add any extra pressure for you?

ONS JABEUR: Last time I was thinking about pressure, didn't work very well for me.

It is great pressure. I'm trying to handle it. The learning: obviously I never been in this situation before. I was joking with Djokovic, told him, Give me some of the touch to win Wimbledon. I was stealing (laughter).

It's great. I'm going to take each match at a time and see what's happening. Obviously I want to turn that great pressure into great things on the court.

Like I said, I just want to be like a great leader.

Q. You said No. 1 in the world is the next thing. Could you do that this year?

ONS JABEUR: It's going to be tough, but not impossible. Obviously Iga is kind of a little bit far from us now.

Yeah, you never know. Well, not this Grand Slam, but there is the US Open, other 1000s on tour, and hopefully the Masters. I'll try my best to catch up to her. Obviously if I don't do it this year, hopefully beginning of next year.

But the most important thing, I want to have the level to be No. 1. I don't just want to be No. 1 like that, put a lot of pressure on myself.

I mean, everybody is looking forward to win against No. 1. I want to be, like, really deserve that spot. Hopefully I can be the level that Iga is playing right now.

Q. You want to get there and stay there?

ONS JABEUR: I want to be there. Not like No. 2 for two weeks now.

Q. You could play Rebecca Marino in the next round. I wonder how much you know about her.

ONS JABEUR: I know she serves really well and it's tricky, you know, also to return on grass. I know she's great player, great story. I'm very proud that she did everything, then she came back. It was very tough and inspiring.

I really love the way she plays. If I'm going to play her, I have to focus really on my return and try to get her play more and more points.

Q. I'm curious of the pressure and expectations, where you are in the rankings, the media, what you've done for Arab women in that part of the world, what has been the coolest part of this sort of new life that you've earned for yourself? I don't know if it takes your breath away, you step back, Wow, this is a part of who I am and what I do now.

ONS JABEUR: I'm honestly living the dream. I always wanted to achieve, always wanted to be in this level, always wanted to inspire players from my country, from my continent. It's very important.

Honestly, I didn't know I'm the first one to be No. 1 in African continent. I just read that. I'm like, Wow, I'm really one step away from being No. 1.

I hope, yeah, I really inspire so many people from my country. My dream, one of my dreams, is to see more and more players from the Arab world, from Africa. Hopefully let's have maybe in the next five years more and more players.

Q. You mentioned that feeling of the noise that you lose every week, most players lose every week. Is that something that takes a while to get used to on tour, especially when you've been a good junior?

ONS JABEUR: Actually I never realized that until someone told me: You lose every week. Okay, I didn't see it that way before (smiling).

I think, yeah, you get used to it. The great thing about tennis as well is you have an opportunity every week to compete, to win. When that person told me, You lose every week. I was like, Yeah, but I win every week as well.

I try to see always the positive thing out of it. Just in general I'm a very positive person and I try to be that, focus on what's next.

Tennis life just is never easy. I don't know why I chose to be a tennis player. Loving the pressure, loving the stress, and hopefully will continue.

Q. Do you think Serena believes she can be a serious contender here this tournament? Do you think she can be?

ONS JABEUR: I think if she's here, then she believes she can be, I mean, that she can win this tournament as well.

I believe that she can. She's a G.O.A.T., she's a legend, and she can do whatever she wants.

In general I believe if you put something in your mind, you can achieve it no matter what people is talking about you. If you're mentally strong, you can do anything.

That's honestly the message I'm trying to send every time. I'm someone from Tunisia, nobody even believed that I could be here, and here I am talking to you.