Wimbledon 2022 – Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria’s sporting gesture after semi-final showed ‘so much love’

Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria’s touching gesture after their Wimbledon semi-final showed “so much love”, according to Eurosport experts Alex Corretja and Mats Wilander.

Jabeur has become the first Arab and North African to reach a major final, while 34-year-old Maria had been aiming to follow Evonne Goolagong Cawley in becoming just the second mother to win Wimbledon in the Open era.

The match-up between the two close friends, both of whom were playing in their first Grand Slam semi-final, ended with a moving exchange at the net as they shared a long embrace. It was a moment that left Corretja and Wilander hugely impressed.

“Can we please reinforce, when we shake hands, to say ‘good job, congratulations, good luck for the rest of the tournament’,” Corretja said.

“That doesn’t mean that you are worse than that player, it’s a form of respect. You lost, your opponent was better. I hate it when I see players shaking hands subconsciously, with no sentiment. What is this?

“Look into your opponent’s eyes and say ‘congratulations, all the best’. This hug [between Jabeur and Maria] gave me so much love.”

Wilander added: “If you really have the passion, you can make it a long way. Of course, you have to have some talent, but we often talk about talent being something that you have in your hands, but it’s also an ability to push on and pursue your passion, knowing that there’s a good chance that you will fail along the way.

“If you pursue your passion, reach your potential – it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll make a Wimbledon final – it can take you a long way. Ons Jabeur is nearly there. I think she can still improve.”

Jabeur said in her on-court interview: “I really don’t know what to say. It’s a dream come true. I’m really happy that [the sacrifice] is paying off. I [will] continue for one more match!

“I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here today. I know in Tunisia they’re going crazy right now. Hopefully, I [can] inspire as many as I can… not just Tunisian, Arab, African players… I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them.

“I think it was more difficult running for her balls; she killed me!” Jabeur added. “She has to make me a barbecue to make up for all the running I did on the court! I definitely wanted to share the moment with her at the end because she’s such an inspiration for so many players, [especially] coming back from having two babies.

“Physically, she is a beast; she doesn’t give up [at] any point. She made me run for a lot of points; I thought she’d get tired [eventually] but she didn’t. Her touch, her serve… everything on the court is really impressive. I hope she continues playing this way. Let’s not play again, I’m good for now!”

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