"Maybe the old me would have lost": Jabeur evolved as a person after 2022 heartbreak, intends to cash in with 2023 Wimbledon Final win

WTA
Friday, 14 July 2023 at 08:00
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Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur believes that she has grown into a better player after cementing yet another final berth at Wimbledon.
The current world number six defeated the number two-seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal of the third Grand Slam of the year with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday.
The victory was indeed a special one, considering Jabeur now has an opportunity to improve what she did last year where she suffered a defeat in the final against Elena Rybakina with a score of 3–6, 6–2, 6–2.
Talking after the match, Jabeur was of the opinion that an older version of her would’ve lost the game and also revealed that she has worked on her mental strength in the recent past as well.
“I’m very proud of myself because maybe the old me would have lost the match today and went back home already,” she said. “But I’m glad that I kept digging very deep and finding the strength. Maybe also a little bit before, like six months ago. [I’m] a different player. … I’m working on myself like crazy. You have no idea what I’m doing – I’m very tough with myself, try to improve everything.
“For me, I always believed in mental, in working on it. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past years since I was maybe 10 years old because I know if you are not ready physically, mentally you can always win. I would say I always believed. But sometimes you would question and doubt it if it’s going to happen, if it’s ever going to happen. Being in the last stages, I think it does help you believe more.
“For me, I’m going to learn a lot from not only Wimbledon’s final but also US Open final, and give it my best. Maybe this year was all about trying two times and getting it right the third time.”

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