Ons Jabeur's Wimbledon revenge mission has one final assignment

If there’s one thing one can take from Ons Jabeur’s giant-slaying run to a second consecutive Wimbledon final, it’s how important it is to work on oneself.

As Jabeur admitted in her on-court interview on Thursday after rallying back from a set and a break down to defeat world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, the “old Jabeur” would have probably lost that semi-final.

She would have gotten frustrated by Sabalenka’s clutch serving, rued her missed break point opportunities, complained continuously to her team in her box, and let the match slip away.

Luckily that’s the old Jabeur. The new Jabeur got angry but regrouped. The new Jabeur seethed when she got aced, but then accepted she was facing a player with exceptional power and serving abilities. The new Jabeur put her faith in being patient, sticking to the plan, hanging with her opponent in the rallies, and waiting for the right moment to pounce. She lost break points but also won some. And most importantly, levelled up when she needed it the most.

It’s been a recurring pattern for the Tunisian this entire Wimbledon Championships, particularly in her last four matches, four consecutive wins over Grand Slam champions.

The world No 6 has navigated arguably her toughest draw at a major to date, getting tested against players who have handed her painful Wimbledon defeats in the past – including in last year’s final – and coming back from behind against Bianca Andreescu in the third round, Petra Kvitova in the quarters and Sabalenka in the final four.

Stats show Sabalenka’s average shot speed is 74mph, faster than the average shot speed in this year’s men’s singles championship, which is 71mph. When you face that kind of force and find ways to acknowledge it, absorb it, and use it to