Ons Jabeur’s history-making efforts inspire Moroccan teen duo to dream big in tennis

A few days ago, Malak El Allami, a 16-year-old from Casablanca, became the first Moroccan girl to win a singles match at Wimbledon when she advanced to second round of the juniors draw.

El Allami, who turns 17 later this month, is ranked 41 in the ITF world junior rankings and teamed up with her compatriot Aya El Aouni to win a round in the Roland Garros junior doubles event in Paris a few weeks ago.

El Aouni cracked the top-30 in the world junior rankings in May and at 18, is preparing to step up to the professional tour and launch a career in the sport.

In separate interviews at Wimbledon this week, El Allami and El Aouni were asked who their favorite player was growing up. The Moroccan duo responded with no hesitation: “Ons Jabeur.”

Jabeur is the most successful Arab athlete in tennis history, peaking at No.2 in the world last year after making two major finals. On Saturday, the Tunisian has a chance to become the first ever African-born Grand Slam singles champion, and the first from the Arab world.

Jabeur always reminded the public that she was a “100 percent product of Tunisia” and her success on the global stage has inspired El Allami, El Aouni, and countless others from the region to dream about following in her footsteps.

Egyptian Mayar Sherif hit a career-high ranking of 31 last month, and was seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time at these Wimbledon championships. Sherif says witnessing Jabeur’s ascent to the top echelons of the sport constantly pushes her to work harder and strive for more.

It’s no different for teenagers El Allami and El Aouni as they embark on their own journeys.  

“She’s a really great person and whenever we see her here at Wimbledon, she says hi and she asks about my matches