Ons Onto the Final

Bill Simons and Vinay Venkatesh

Wimbledon

ONS ONTO THE FINAL: Don’t be fooled. Ons Jabeur is called the Minister of Happiness. But she’s one steely 28-year-old, who emerged from a small Tunisian city and has done what no other African sportswoman has ever done. “Ten million Tunisians are watching today,” said one passionate fan on Henman Hill. “We all have her back.”

One other thing – Ons has a wicked sense of humor. And her game is pretty wicked, too. Just ask any of the four Grand Slam champions she’s dismissed here. Jabeur not only subdued the US Open winner, Bianca Andreescu, she dismantled three of the most powerful players in the game: two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, defending champion Elena Rybakina and the Aussie Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who came within just six points of becoming No. 1 today.

Jabeur is often touted as a magician with an array of nasty slices and drop shots. But she is far more than a master of finesse. She hits deep. Her court positioning is uncanny. She defends like a demon. She absorbs pace like a sponge and hits back with interest. 

Plus, she’s a fierce competitor who today somehow outlasted and out-battled a far more powerful foe: Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. And, along with Swiatek, Ons is the best tactician in the game since Ash Barty.

Early in today’s semifinal, the No. 6 seed was eager to take  advantage of Sabalenka’s 21 unforced errors in the first set. But Jabeur had three break points and couldn’t convert, and her powerful Belarusian foe used her astounding weapons to come back from a 2-4 deficit in the first-set tiebreak to capture the set 7-6(5).

Sabalenka is a big woman with big shots, who some say has the most powerful game since Serena. Her serve imposes. Her forehand is a blur. Her backhand is lethal. She sprinted to a 4-2, 30-0 second-set lead. Clearly she had a stranglehold on the match. The Tunisian’s head dipped in disbelief – three times she thumped her thigh, her frustration clear.

But for Sabalenka, her demons are hard to silence. She double faulted and netted a backhand, as Ons broke serve and soon evened the second set at 4-4.  Jabeur quickly tapped into her inner genius. “It’s like she woke up from a snooze and she’s making a storm,” said Radio Wimbledon. Jabeur attacked an 89 mph second serve to break the Belarusian and even a titanic Centre Court battle at a set apiece.

Jabeur called on her extraordinary return of serve, speed and smarts, and, like a desert wind, took command. On her fifth match point, she unleashed a clever 92 mph ace to claim 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach her second straight Wimbledon final and her third Slam final in a year.

How did she do it today? “I might be writing a book about it.” quipped Ons. “The old me might have lost the match and be headed home now. I’m glad I dug deep.” And so are her 10 million fans in Tunisia, her backers throughout Africa and Muslim women around the globe. Saturday, she’ll face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, whom she has lost to a couple of times. Jabeur commented, “It will be an opportunity to see if my revenge is working again.”

JUST ANOTHER MORNING IN WIMBLEDON – MY BREAKFAST WITH BILLIE JEAN KING: The tree trimmers are outside my lovely attic room near Wimbledon and they wake me up early, so I start writing. I finally finish my article on inner city tennis in Las Vegas and head down to have breakfast. There my delightful host tells me, “Oh dear, Bill, you’ll never guess who’s parked in our driveway.” In a daze I answer, “Aryna Sabalenka?” “No, it’s Billie Jean King.”

“Billie Jean King?!” I promptly dash off to get a print-out of my long article on her epic Battle of the Sexes face-off with Bobby Riggs that I’d just written for Inside Tennis’ next print issue. 

Then, in a flash, I see Billie’s big black car pulling out of the driveway. So I sprint outside and say, “Hi Billie, here’s my article on the 50th anniversary of your Battle of the Sexes win.” 

As her wife (and driver) Ilana Kloss looks on, we briefly talk about Saudi Arabia trying to elbow its way into our sport. Then, out of nowhere, a breathless neighbor comes by to get a selfie with the iconic champion. But Billie Jean had to zoom off to BBC, and, as I return to my cereal, I say to myself, “Oh well, it’s just another breakfast at Wimbledon.”

THE BEST TENNIS STORY THAT NEVER HAPPENED: “If Elina Svitolina wins,” said John McEnroe, “the story would be absolutely insane. The best story for tennis in many years.” Svitolina’s matches are shown on the frontlines of war. Children in Kyiv watch on their phones. Today the Ukrainian ambassador was in the Royal Box and a fan on Henman Hill said, “Svitolina is so empowering. She’s been feeling it.” 

En route to the third major semi of her career, Svitolina had beaten four Grand Slam champions. She prevailed in an emotional marathon over Belarusian Victoria Azarenka and an emphatic triumph over No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Plus, she’d be facing a foe who before this year had only won one match on grass.  

But Marketa Vondrousova was full of intent too. The former Olympic and French Open finalist is part of a non-stop wave of Czechs, from Martina Navratilova to French Open finalist Karolina Muchova. She’s a lefty on grass – always a prickly challenge.

Last year she was out for six months due to two wrist surgeries. Her tattoo said it all: “no rain, no flowers.” 

At 3-3 in the first set, Marketa made her mark as she hit astounding running winners, prevailed in cat-and-mouse points and at one moment hit eleven straight drop shots, winning seven straight games midway through the match. Svitolina unleashed a bold counterattack, but Vondrousova, who only returned to the circuit three years ago, eventually prevailed 6-3, 6-3 to become the first unseeded woman to reach the final since Billie Jean King 50 years ago.

The deeply disappointed Ukrainian was left in tears. One broadcaster noted, “It’s the end of the road for Svitolina. She will not get to carry the Ukrainian flag into the final. Instead it is a precious, life changing moment for Marketa.”

THE LONG AND WINDING NOVAK: More than any player we’ve seen, Novak Djokovic let us in on his very high-profile, very open journey of discovery. Nutrition and a gluten-free diet changed his world. He worked with New Age thinkers and a deep-dive Spanish spiritual teacher who used lengthy meditations to tap into inner truths. 

Novak has visited Buddhist temples, Bosnian caves and the Green School in Bali. He’s climbed France’s fabled Mt. Sainte-Victoire and reflected at the edge of the Grand Canyon. But, more recently, he’s been embroiled in intense tennis politics and, of course, navigated through a devastating Covid controversy in which he was under detention for six days in Australia. 

Most recently, he’s been immersed in parenting. So Inside Tennis asked him about his inner journey these days and whether he’s still a spiritual seeker.

He replied, “I think we all are. We all go through different journeys…[and have] the curiosity to discover our inner and outer worlds. It’s manifested for some earlier in life, or later for others.

“I feel very hungry for knowledge, for experiences. Life is a great journey…I’ve been through a lot of things in life in these 36 years. I’m very, very grateful for all I’ve experienced…[including] the bad experiences…When you are feeling down, that’s when you have an opportunity…to grow and use those lessons to become a better version of yourself.

“It’s a constant evolution. It never really stops. That’s the mindset I have on and off court – it’s the mindset that got me to where I am…I never want to stop growing, learning, trying to improve, to understand the nuances, whether it’s with my game, my body, my nutrition, my recovery, whatever it is.

“It’s important to keep growing because there is no such thing as stagnation… [I have] an open mindset towards life. I try to welcome all experiences and to learn from them.”

When asked what his perspective was on age, he said, “I feel young in my body, my head, my heart. My children remind me of that…Their innocence, incredible curiosity, pure love and energy strengthens the inner child in me.

“Also that I’m still playing the sport I fell in love with when I was very young is something very refreshing.”

QUOTEBOOK: “You’re waiting to win your first Grand Slam, so you have to be patient.” – Ons Jabeur.

“Believe in yourself…In different situations, you always need to find the way to fight for your dream. Just continue dreaming and trying to achieve your dream.” – Elina Svitolina

“A lot of players have had to spend their careers not thinking about what their parents told them when they were young.” –  Radio Wimbledon 

“Grass was impossible for me. It’s even crazier that this is happening.” – Marketa Vondrousova

TATTOO ALERT: Vondrousova has a bet with her coach that if she wins Wimbledon, he’ll get a tattoo.

ONLY AT WIMBLEDON: You’re delayed getting into a side writing room in the press center because the security guard is on his knees doing his daily prayers to Allah.

BLANCH REPORT: Floridian Darwin Blanch, 15, who reached the French Open juniors semis, beat fellow American Kaylan Bigun to reach the Wimbledon junior semis. He’ll next play Russian Yaroslav Demin.

CZECH OUT THESE LEFTIES IN LONDON: Left-handed Czechs (that would be Martina Navratilova, Petra Kvitona and Marketa Vondrousova) have reached 18 Wimbledon finals.