Jabeur pays tribute to 'beast' Haddad Maia

Tunisian hails her opponent's history-making feats and walks away from RG with no regrets

Ons Jabeur, quarter-final, Roland-Garros 2023© Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
 - Reem Abulleil

Even after a heart-breaking defeat, you can still count on Ons Jabeur to crack a joke.

“You don't want to know how I feel?” laughed the Tunisian at the start of her press conference when she was asked to share her thoughts on her three-set quarter-final defeat to Beatriz Haddad Maia on Wednesday.

“Yeah, difficult match. It's never easy playing Maia, but she played really well. She was probably more physically ready than me, but it is what it is. It is tennis, and grass season already started in my head.”

'I hope she wins a Slam one day'

Jabeur is the first African player – woman or man – to reach the quarter-finals at each of the four Grand Slams, in the Open Era, and she paid tribute to fellow history-maker Haddad Maia, who is the first Brazilian woman to reach the semi-finals at Roland-Garros since Maria Bueno in 1966.

The pair shared a warm embrace at the end of their gruelling two-hour 29-minute clash, which was Haddad Maia’s fourth consecutive three-set victory. The Brazilian has spent 13 hours on court (in singles, and another two hours in doubles) en route to the semi-finals.

“She probably played longer than me, but she's a beast, and I wish her all the best,” said Jabeur of Haddad Maia.

“I mean, honestly, what she's doing for – I feel like my story and her story are a little bit similar. I'm very happy for her and for Brazil, and hopefully she can do much more for her country.

“She's really amazing, and she deserves all the best, and I hope that she could win a Grand Slam one day.”

Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Roland-Garros 2023, quarter-final© Corinne Dubreuil/FFT

No regrets

Jabeur’s build-up to Roland-Garros was less than ideal, having picked up a calf injury in Stuttgart in April that denied her a chance to try to defend her title in Madrid. The 28-year-old admits she didn’t have enough time to be physically prepared for the Parisian Grand Slam but walks away with no regrets.

“I'm feeling okay. I think I rushed my way back on tour, but that's because I wanted to be ready for Roland-Garros. You know, like all the training and the physical training, maybe I didn't have enough time to prepare for that, but I did my maximum. I did what I could do in a short time period,” she explained.

“I was trying to push myself until the end, but I think pretty satisfied with the results. You always want to push for more, but I mean hopefully next time will be better, and no more quarter-final here at Roland-Garros.”

Ons' big dream

Jabeur will now switch her focus to the grass season, where she hopes to go one better than her runner-up showing at Wimbledon last year.

“I'm hoping to go and get the title really in Wimbledon. I'm dreaming about it. It's something that I always wanted,” said the Tunisian, who fell to Elena Rybakina in the final 11 months ago.

“Last year was unfortunate because I was very close. When I put something in my mind, I know I can do it, so it's definitely here.”