World No. 7-ranked tennis player Ons Jabeur broke down in tears after her 6-4, 6-3 win over Marketa Vondrousova in the group stage at the WTA Finals in Mexico.
The Tunisian star said that while the win was satisfying, the events in the Middle East have been troubling. Jabeur pledged to donate her prize money from the tournament to Palestinians.
“I am very happy with the win but I haven’t been very happy lately. The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy … I feel like … I am sorry,” Jabeur said in her on-court interview. “It’s very tough seeing children and babies dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. I have decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. I can’t be happy with this win. It is not a political message, it is humanity. I want peace in this world. That’s it.”
Violent Conflict Has Ripple Effects Around The World
On Oct. 7 Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, caught Israel off guard in an attack as a response to Israeli occupation in Gaza that has been going on for decades. The offensive caused a retaliation from Israel which has seen countless Palestinian civilians killed.
Jabeur, one of the most well-liked women on the WTA Tour, is among the most popular players wherever she goes. Due to her friendly nature and positive interactions with fans. She is Muslim, and no doubt this crisis hurts her deeply. But as she clearly states, it’s about humanity.
This conflict has caused division around the world and is being used by bad-faith people to incite more division for their own personal gain. Seeing an athlete like Jabeur stand up for humanity is a good thing.
Jabeur Looking To Advance To Semifinals In Year-End Champioship
On the court it has been a good year for Jabeur. She’s won two titles and $2.8 million in total prize money. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time and advanced to the Wimbledon final for the second year in a row but was denied again.
As the world No. 7 she qualified for the prestigious WTA Finals, where the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams in the world compete in a group stage. There are two groups of four, and the top two individuals based on record advance to the knockout round. It is the most coveted title outside of the four majors.
Jabeur is 1-1 through two group play matches and will play world No. 2 and group leader Iga Swiatek next. She’ll need to win and hope Coco Gauff loses to Vondrousova.
If both Gauff and Jabeur win in straight sets, there would be a three-way tie at 2-1 and percentage of games won would determine who advances. The tiebreaker would get more complicated if both win, then it will come down to number of sets won or lost in the match.
