Ons Jabeur, the fourth-ranked player in the world, has her sights set on winning her first Grand Slam trophy this year after defeating Belinda Bencic 7-6(6), 6-4, at the Charleston Open on Sunday.
Jabeur lost to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon and Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open in the finals of two major tournaments in 2022, but the Tunisian is back in top form this year following minor knee surgery in February.
The 28-year-old is now a strong candidate for the French Open, which begins next month, after her victory against holder Bencic. Jabeur has won 38 matches on clay since the 2020 season began, which is the most of any women’s player during that time.
Looking ahead to the European claycourt season, Jabeur told Tennis Channel, “I’m delighted that I’m finding my rhythm and I hope that my body will allow me to play.”
“Going to Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome excites me. I find Clay to be extremely great. I’m working on a lot of things, and everything is going well for me, so for me, it’s step by step, and this year, I’m aiming for the Grand Slam.”
Earlier this year, Jabeur missed tournaments in Doha and Dubai and exited early in Indian Wells and Miami. She claimed that her confidence helped her rise to the challenge of playing Olympic champion Bencic.
Jabeur continued, “If you want to do something, believe in it and only you can truly manifest it. “I was performing it while visualizing holding the award.
“When it actually happened, I was seeing myself in the subsequent photo session with the image showing that I had already won the title.
I’ll make the large trophy sets, including the Wimbledon trophy and other Grand Slams I hope to win, manifest.
