Ons Jabeur wants level playing field as Arab women take tennis by storm

For the first time in history, there are two Arab women seeded in a Grand Slam and Tunisian Ons Jabeur is thrilled to be sharing the spotlight with Egypt’s Mayar Sherif at Wimbledon this fortnight.

Ranked No6 and No31 respectively, Jabeur and Sherif are just two examples of scores of Arab women athletes excelling on the global stage, often outperforming their male counterparts and breaking many barriers along the way.

“I think it’s so great to see. Who would have even thought to see one Arab woman, and now you have two, and possibly more on the way? It’s unbelievable what Mayar is doing for Egypt, for Africa, and we hope to see more,” Jabeur told The National on the eve of the Championships in south-west London.

“Maybe now, with the times, with the more freedom that we have, and also seeing other women doing great in other sports, I think that encourages us,” the 28-year-old says when explaining why women from the region are rising to the top, and not necessarily the men.

“I believe that women are taking advantage more and more of their chances to show who they are and I believe it’s very important to do that. And hopefully we can change that forever.”

Having established herself as a regular fixture in the world’s top 10 over the past two years – rising to a career-high No2 last year – Jabeur feels she has gained a deeper perspective on the state of equality, or inequality, between women and men in tennis and she wants to shed light on the issues she and her fellow WTA players are facing.

“I still believe there is a big gap we should close. I see, maybe now that I’m in the top 10, how women are treated, there’s still a lot more to do,” said the two-time Grand Slam finalist.

The WTA announced last week a pathway to