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Ons Jabeur Indian Wells 2021
Tennis News, WTA Tennis Players

‘Why not number one?’ – Ons Jabeur dreaming big after breaking top 10 barrier


Despite defeat in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, Ons Jabeur will break into the Top 10 for the first time and believes she can reach the pinnacle of women’s tennis.

The Tunisian star has been in fine form in 2021 and continued in the same vein in the Californian desert before falling to Paula Badosa in the semi-final.

Regardless of the defeat, Jabeur will make history when the rankings update on Monday as she becomes the first Arab player to reach the Top 10.

Not only this, but the Tunisian also leads the WTA tour for match wins ahead of the likes of Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka, having already racked up 48 wins in 2021.

“It’s big. I never imagined that I could lead the tour in wins. It shows that, physically, I’m much better,” said Jabeur.

“My tennis coach [Issam Jellali] is someone that I respect so much. We kind of started from the bottom together.

“We are now in the Top 10. They doubted us a lot as a team, but we stayed together. We kept communicating a lot. It’s never easy coming from my country.

“We have to change this mentality that you need to have a coach with a lot of experience. The most important thing is that the coach understands the player.

“From there, you can do amazing things. That’s what we did with my team. It’s a dream team I have. I hope we continue working hard.

“Now we are even more motivated to go even to the Top 5. Why not No. 1 in the world?”


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.