Jabeur is the most upbeat and enthusiastic tennis player to emerge since Roger Federer and is heavy favourite to win her first grand slam
When Thursday morning dawned, Wimbledon was poised for a fraught ladies’ final. A Ukraine-Belarus showdown would have transposed the Eastern European conflict onto the turf of Centre Court – and placed the Princess of Wales in an awkward position at the trophy presentation.
But elite tennis is an unpredictable business, and both Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalanka bowed out at the semi-final stage.
In the absence of a political grudge match on finals weekend, Saturday promises to deliver a feelgood story instead: the “ons-stoppable” rise of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
Nicknamed “the minister for happiness”, Jabeur is the most upbeat and enthusiastic tennis player to emerge since Roger Federer. There is a buoyancy about her, an irrepressible spirit which deflects the challenges of this stressful, globe-trotting lifestyle.