The highest-rated Arab woman in tennis history wants to do well in ‘close to heart’ Qatar TotalEnergies Open to continue trailblazing after an injury-marred recent spell.
For Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur, the motivation to do well at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2025 transcends accolades or the crucial points on offer.
An Arab athlete doing well in a tournament held in the Middle East holds the power to potentially to inspire the next generation of players coming up, she says.
Watching top players live in action was something that Jabeur could have only imagined growing up. Middle East and North Africa were a farland for elite tennis in the late 90s and it was only in the early 2000s that some WTA tournaments sprung up still lacking the incentive to attract the top seeds.
Fast forward to 2025, the Middle East now has a three-week long swing with six WTA events — two of them being WTA 1000 events. This week, Jabeur will be in action in the first one of those, the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which she said occupies a “special place” in her heart.
It was in 2012 that Jabeur, then a trembling teenager, was given the wildcard to play in Doha for the first time, just two years after turning professional. Although a first-round defeat saw her crash out early, the opportunity meant a lot for the Tunisian.
“They didn’t care if I didn’t have any ranking or that I wasn’t in the top 10,” Jabeur said when asked by Doha News in a press conference. “I feel they love me for the person before the player that I am.”
This year, the now 30-year-old will compete in the Qatari captial as one of the most-followed players, having shattered multiple records in what has been a stellar career so far. Becoming the highest-ranked Arab or African woman in tennis history ranks high in that list.
Jabeur is now ranked 35th in the world, a drop pitched in by multiple injuries in the last two years. She was battling a knee-injury ahead of the 2024 edition in Doha and had withdrawn from the tournament altogether the year before.
Going through her injuries, however, the Tunisian ace has found a way to vocal advocate for womens’ mental health in tennis.
The 30-year-old has previously opened up about the mental weight of having to go through injuries as well as the gymnastics involved in keeping up with a packed and high-paced calendar at the pinnacle of professional sport.
“Yes, we do practice and play a lot. Injuries are basically our bodies asking for help because it is the only way that the body can communicate with us. Yet, a lot of injuries are connected to emotional points.
“It is very important to keep your priorities straight. We play tennis for like only 15 years of our life. For the rest of it, we will have to move on to another chapter.
“That is why, it [mental health] has been my top priority since day one. It is very important to take care of your mental health. Because for me if you ask me if I have to choose between being happy or be sad and win, I’d prefer to be happy.”
While it has not been the best of starts to the calendar with a third round exit in the Australian Open and then a quarterfinals loss against Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in Abu Dhabi last week, Jabeur thinks she could make things tick in Qatar.
“I’m definitely more refreshed than one year ago. I am much better and looking forward to play this season, compared to last year where I was pretty tired and had a couple of injuries that hindered me to perform well,” she said ahead of her much-anticipated clash in Doha, which will see her face U.S.’s McCartney Kessler on Monday to start the proceedings.
Although Jabeur feels “at home” in Doha, her record says otherwise. Two quarterfinal places in seven appearances does not exactly keep up with rest of her career so far.
Yet, the expectations on the Tunisian will be to better her tally so far on the back of a renewed post-injury hope. At a personal level, however, doing well in Doha goes beyond scores for Jabeur, it will be for a greater good.
“Hopefully, [I can] win some matches and help the crowd come back and support me,” Jabeur said.
“It is very important to me to play good here and to inspire the younger generation from my country and from the Arab countries.”
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