Wimbledon, July 7 (BUS): Anas Jaber’s steady year-to-year progression – up the tennis standings, through the draw of various tournaments, and now, at Wimbledon – has led to the Grand Slam singles final, the first woman from Africa. To get this far in the professional era.
3 seed Gaber, the 27-year-old from Tunisia, beat her good friend Tatiana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in an up and down semi-final on a sun-soaked central court. On Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
Jaber is now on a good run: she has won 11 consecutive matches and 22 of her last 24 matches. Since professional players were first accepted into the major tennis tournaments in 1968, not a single African has made it to the final. She is also the first Arab woman to reach this far.
“I am a Tunisian woman proud to be standing here today. I know they in Tunisia are going crazy right now. I’m just trying to inspire, really, as much as I can,” she said. “I want to see more and more – not just Tunisian – Arab and African players on their tours. I just love the game and want to share this experience with them.”
Jaber will face 2019 champion Simona Halep or 17th seed Elena Rybakina in the tournament on Saturday. Halep and Rybakina were due to play in the semi-finals at the All England Club later on Thursday.
The men’s semi-finals will take place on Friday, with three-time defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic of Britain, Cameron Norrie, and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal facing unseeded Nick Kyrgios. Nadal questioned whether he would even be able to make the semi-finals after suffering through a five-set victory over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
Nadal had a limited training session on Thursday, holding mostly forehand and backhand strokes. When he attempted the service, which was a real problem the day before, he did so without using full force or throwing his body behind his deliveries.
Jaber has been rising in the tennis world in recent seasons. In 2020, at the Australian Open, she became the first Arab woman to reach the quarter-finals of a major tournament. Last year produced all kinds of achievements: the first Arab player to break into the top ten in the men’s or women’s rankings, the first Arab to win a WTA title and a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon.
Now I did those two steps better.
“I really don’t know what to say. It’s a dream come true from years and years of work and sacrifice,” Jaber said with a wide smile. “Another match now.”
As she wrapped up the biggest victory of her career, she and Maria — the 34-year-old mother of two from Germany and number 103 — met on the net for a long hug. Jaber whispered something in her boyfriend’s ear. Then, having put her racket on the sidelines, Jaber returns to the middle of the field to wave the usual victor to the crowd—except, instead of going alone, she playfully drags Maria with her, an unfamiliar gesture.
“I definitely wanted to share the moment with her at the end, because she is an inspiration to many players, including myself,” Jaber said. “Back after having two kids – I still can’t believe how I did it.”
Before the semi-finals, Jaber and Maria stood next to each other, waiting to walk in the corridors of the stadium leading to the stadium. Despite their closeness, the pair avoided exchanging any glances or gossip.
Close friends, yes. On this day, opponents are also in good standing, stage and risk.
Neither of them had made a Grand Slam semi-final before. Maria had never made it past the third round in any of her previous 34 matches at the Grand Slam – and she had only made it this far once, at Wimbledon in 2015.
The two hang out together frequently. They are, in Jaber’s words, “barbecue buddies.” Jaber knows my daughter Maria so well that the German referred to her as “Aunt Un”.
Perhaps that’s why none of the players showed much emotion during the match, even after the great points. Sure enough, Jaber put her hands on her hips and Maria smiled shyly after a lively exchange with both at the net. Jaber raised her left fist above her head after a particularly difficult and effective run, wrapping a forehand on her body for a passing winner. Maria raised her right arm after leading 5-2 in the second set.
They offer extraordinary brands of tennis that are full of fast mixing and variety. On the second point of the match, Jaber earned a point using a return shot. Maria loves to hit slashed forehands; Jaber, perfectly capable of powerful ground strikes, joined in on that occasionally.
After this strong first group, Jabeur was less effective in the second group. Perhaps it struck her how close she was to reaching the final.
Suddenly, bugs started piling up quickly. Her service was less self-confident. Maria took full advantage of it. Then, all of a sudden, Jaber was back to her best, winning 5-0 in the third inning in 20 minutes.
After 17 unintentional errors in the second set, Jaber has a remarkably low aggregate of three the rest of the way. Maria simply couldn’t keep up.