Ons Jabeur: A 'ball of sunshine' who stands on the brink of greatness at Wimbledon

I met Ons Jabeur for the first time a decade ago when she was a 17-year-old given wildcards to play the WTA tournaments in Doha and Dubai.

The Tunisian had won the 2011 Roland Garros junior title the previous season and was looking to make the step up to the women’s tour, while simultaneously studying for her French baccalauréat in high school.

Several things struck me immediately from our first meeting.

She was a ball of sunshine, warm towards everyone around her and was joking with every individual on-site at the tournament – be it the barista serving her coffee in the players’ lounge, the security guard escorting players to their matches, tournament officials, fellow players.

She was making her tour debut yet somehow everyone knew her and wanted to chat with her.

She was also supremely talented. She played a creative game that wasn’t common on the WTA circuit. She had all these different shots and spins that surprised her opponents, and made for entertaining viewing.

It was a cerebral game style that relied on finesse, but one that wasn’t fully developed yet; she didn’t always know which shot to use at the right moment. She was still only 17 after all.

The most obvious thing I noticed was how ambitious she was. Jabeur was very clear in what she wanted to achieve in tennis. “I want to be a top-10 player,” she told me in our first interview back then. She acknowledged she had things she had to figure out. She said she had breathing problems and needed to work on her fitness. She had a niggling ankle injury that required surgery. And she changed coaches and training bases a few times, searching for the right team, and place, that could help her translate her junior success to the women’s tour.

Jabeur was a teenager but sounded like someone who understood the meaning of responsibility from a very young age. She can switch from playful mode to serious talk very quickly, and can eloquently discuss the challenges of striving to make it on tour and her experience as a Tunisian trying to excel in a sport few Arabs have succeeded in.

Unlike other top juniors from her generation, Jabeur took her time breaking through.

After winning the girls’ title at Roland Garros, it took her six years to break into the WTA’s top 100, achieving that feat in August 2017, just shy of her 23rd birthday.

From then on, every step she took on court broke some kind of record for Tunisian, Arab or African tennis. She was constantly fielding questions about being a trailblazer for her region and she took a decision early on in her career to see that role as a privilege, rather than added pressure.

Today, she is the first African woman to reach a Grand Slam final, and the first Tunisian and Arab player – male or female – to make it to a major final in the Open era, thanks to her exploits at Wimbledon.

“I’ve always had that since the beginning of my junior days,” Jabeur told me in another interview.

“I’m trying to be humble about it. When I go to Fed Cup and I see some players from African countries how they congratulate me, how so many want to take pictures with me, I see how important I am for African tennis.

“And when I go to Arab countries I see Arabs how they react to me, and obviously Tunisia as well. Seeing young kids, how I can inspire them, for me it’s not a heavy weight, it’s an unbelievable privilege.”

If I had to pinpoint when or how things started to really come together for Jabeur, it would have to be around 2018 and 2019, when she finally created a stable team around her that included fellow Tunisians Issam Jellali, her head coach, and Karim Kamoun, her husband and fitness trainer. Her sports psychologist Melanie Maillard is also a key pillar in her camp.

Jabeur got married end of 2015 when she was just 21. Her wedding came on the heels of her appearance at the WTA Rising Stars event in Singapore that featured Jabeur and Naomi Osaka, among others, on the sidelines of the tour’s showpiece WTA Finals tournament.

We had a Mexican dinner in Singapore that doubled as a pseudo-bachelorette party for her, and she spoke about her decision to get married so young.

“It’s a choice to get married at this age,” she told me. “I’m 21, yes, but I don’t see myself like any other 21-year-old who is going to college and having a regular life. I started travelling at a very young age and I feel I’m ready to get married.

“My future husband is an athlete [fencer] so he can really help me and support me. A lot of people have told me that I’m too young to get married but I don’t want to waste my time. If I want to be with him for the rest of my life, I just want to start now.”

That’s the thing about Jabeur; she never shied away from taking full ownership over her decisions, whether in her professional or personal life. She knows she can make mistakes, but always said that even if she did, at least they were hers to make.

Maillard, her mental coach, recently told me in an interview for The National that Kamoun “brought stability” to Jabeur's gruelling life on tour.

Besides stability and support and the obvious ways Kamoun has helped Jabeur, the team as a whole shares a lot more than just tennis-related goals. They have common values – they are the kindest group out there – and share a sense of humour and zest for life.

I once joined them on an early morning trip to the Great Wall of China during the tournament in Beijing. We were up there around 7am and the whole Jabeur team was singing and dancing, playing music on a portable speaker and having an absolute blast.

In Wuhan one time, I was meeting Jabeur and Kamoun at their hotel and we ended up playing cards and chatting to the woman who was performing each night in the lobby. Jabeur knew everything about the singer; from why she wanted to relocate from Wuhan, to her hopes and dreams for the future. She had befriended her in a matter of two days.

Whether she is sharing a laugh with Novak Djokovic, or babysitting her fellow players’ kids at tournaments, Jabeur has stayed true to herself from her junior days ranked outside the top 1000, all the way to now, as a world No 2 ready to contest a Wimbledon final.

“I think Ons is an amazing role model already where she's coming from for all this part, how she plays, how she is outside of the court. It doesn't matter if she's No 2 in the world, I mean, she never changed; that's impressive because that also makes her an amazing person,” said Germany’s Tatjana Maria, the woman Jabeur defeated in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Thursday.

“I think she deserves it. I hope she can go to the end.”

The magnitude of the response to Jabeur’s Wimbledon run this fortnight has been something I have never seen before from the Arab world towards a woman athlete. It’s comparable to how the region has been reacting to Mohamed Salah, who has transcended sport these past few years.

Celebrities, politicians, and people from all walks of life are saluting Jabeur through social media messages. She’s shown them that a young girl from a middle class family from Tunisia can one day make it to a Wimbledon final.

As is the case with football’s "Egyptian King", Jabeur is admired for her sporting achievements, but is truly loved for her character and humility.

She has repeatedly said she hopes to inspire people across the Arab world and the African continent to look past obstacles and barriers and believe in themselves.

Whether she wins Wimbledon on Saturday or not, it’s certainly mission accomplished for the Tunisian Queen.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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