Ons Jabeur made a special announcement at the WTA Finals in Cancun, pledging to share her earnings from the tournament with the support of the Palestinian population. Following her victory over Marketa Vondrousova in her Group match, Jabeur addressed the crowd after getting emotional.
She tearfully expressed her feelings, saying, “I am very happy with the win, but I haven’t been happy lately, to be honest with you. The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy.” With her voice breaking, she continued, “It’s very tough seeing children, babies dying every day. It’s heartbreaking. So, I’ve decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians.”
Ons Jabeur says she’s donating a portion of her prize money to Palestine:
“I am very happy with the win but I haven’t been very happy lately. The situation in the world doesn’t make me happy… I feel like… I am sorry. It’s very tough seeing children & babies dying every day.… pic.twitter.com/fVBz9McSjU
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 2, 2023
She further added, “I cannot be happy with just this win, with what is happening. I’m sorry, it’s not a political message. It’s just humanity. I want peace in this world and that’s it.” In her press conference, Jabeur spoke about the challenge of staying focused on tennis amidst the ongoing events in the Middle East. Jabeur said, “I try to stay off social media as much as I can, but it’s very tough,”
However, not all fans were pleased with her strong support for the Palestinian cause. One fan stated, “..if she finds an org that can help innocent Palestinians w/o helping Hamas, great. but she’s been antisemitic with her support.”
She didn’t have tears for Israeli babies before Israel responded to Hamas’ declaration of war. Obviously children suffering is horrible & if she finds an org that can help innocent Palestinians w/o helping Hamas, great. but she’s been antisemitic with her support which sucks to…
— Anna Lee – CRE Leasing Lawyer (@CRELeasingLawTX) November 2, 2023
Some others were “upset” with her actions-
Ons Jabeur’s actions greatly upset me. As an Israeli situated on the far left of the political spectrum—a fact that anyone can discern from my Hebrew tweets—I’ve been an active supporter of human rights organisations.
— Ido Pollak (@ipollak) November 2, 2023
However, Ons’ words were well-received by few fans as well-
What a difficult position to be in. All the pressure of tennis in addition to the weight of the world. My heart ❤️ goes out to you
— HouSoup (@Housoup) November 2, 2023
Ons Jabeur’s heartfelt announcement to donate part of her prize money to aid Palestinians garnered some criticism while overshadowing her victory over Marketa Vondrousova. It questioned the political nature of Jabeur’s support making it a point of discussion and debate.
Ons Jabeur had special plans for Marketa Vondrousova at WTA Finals
In a highly anticipated rematch of the Wimbledon final, Ons Jabeur faced off against Marketa Vondrousova at the 2023 WTA Finals. Both players were eager to bounce back after challenging opening-round losses in Cancun. This encounter marked their first meeting since Vondrousova’s victory at Wimbledon, and Jabeur was determined to break her three-match losing streak against the Czech opponent.
Jabeur made a strong start by breaking Vondrousova in the opening game and managed to withstand the left-hander’s crafty play. The first set was intense, with nearly every service game featuring a breakpoint. Jabeur demonstrated composure under pressure, saving six of seven break points to secure the first set 6-4 after 57 minutes of intense play.
The second set remained closely contested until Jabeur took charge at 3-3. She capitalized on a shaky service game from Vondrousova, breaking her opponent’s serve without dropping a point to go up 4-3, and then consolidated with a love hold. Jabeur sealed the victory in the following game, securing her sixth break of the match with a final scoreline being 6-4, 6-3.
Winning ugly!@Ons_Jabeur says she resorted to Plan B tonight, hitting “shitty balls.” 😂#WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/1NJ8QChjZQ
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 2, 2023
Jabeur’s strategy included employing her unique drop shots to unsettle Vondrousova. Jabeur revealed in her post-match interview that she had prepared a plan B, incorporating more spinning slices and drop shots into her game, which might have appeared “shit*y and ugly” but ultimately contributed to her victorious performance.