Ons Jabeur targets first Grand Slam title at Australian Open

A quarterfinal berth at the 2020 Australian Open marked Ons Jabeur's arrival as a Grand Slam force but the Tunisian trailblazer will not be satisfied with a repeat performance at Melbourne Park this year.

After reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, Jabeur is hoping to go one better in Australia and become the first Arab woman to win a Grand Slam title.

“Yeah, I may not be as happy as I was in 2020 reaching the quarterfinal,” the 28-year-old said with a smile.

“I'm going to put more pressure on myself because I feel like sometimes you just need that to be one of the top players.

“I want to be No 1 in the world, not just the number but also the level and the discipline around it. I want to win more titles and get that Grand Slam title, for sure.”

A relatively late bloomer, Jabeur's recent success has made her a star in the Arab world and seen her sign with Naomi Osaka's sports management agency Evolve in partnership with Tunisian agent Adel Aref.

It has also meant her own episode on Netflix's behind-the-scenes tennis series Break Point, in which she says she resisted expectations that she would quit tennis and become a housewife.

“Actually I skipped to my episode,” she said.

“We actually filmed more things. It's not there. I'm still waiting for the second part because I feel like there are a lot of things we filmed at Wimbledon and the US Open. Hopefully I can see that.”

She said she and her husband-trainer Karim Kamoun each had pictures on their phones of different trophies after setting goals for 2023 — but she was coy about which ones.

“My goal is to not lose any more finals,” she added. 

World No 1 Iga Swiatek enjoyed a friendly hit with Ash Barty at Melbourne Park on Saturday and later mused on the way last season could have unfolded had the Australian not shocked the tennis world by announcing her retirement.

Pole Swiatek inherited the top ranking when Barty retired in March, just months after winning last year's Australian Open and ending her country's 44-year wait for a home champion.

Swiatek proved she deserved the No 1 spot with victories at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows but said she would have liked to have had more opportunities to go toe-to-toe with Barty.

“Well, for sure when she retired I felt like she still has the best tennis out there,” top seed Swiatek told a news conference. “So I was pretty sad I'm not going to be able to compete against her and maybe win.”

Swiatek, 21, said she was still trying to work out Barty's game, particularly her variety of slices.

“Even her book she says she has five types of slices. I don't know how that's possible,” Swiatek said with a smile. “I still haven't figured out one type.

“But yeah I have huge respect for Ash. She really gave me huge motivation at the beginning of last season to get even better. I'm grateful for that.”

Swiatek, who meets Jule Niemeier in the first round of the Australian Open, said she will never know if she would have been able to displace Barty at the top had she not retired.

“Many things could happen and I wouldn't be here,” Swiatek said. “On the other hand, maybe I would get through them and still be at the same place. So I don't know.”