Ons Jabeur: an ITF and Grand Slam success story
Eleven years ago, 16-year-old Ons Jabeur created a piece of history at Roland Garros in 2011 when she became the first girl from North Africa to win a junior Grand Slam title. On Saturday at Wimbledon the Tunisian narrowly missed out on an even greater achievement – becoming the first African woman to win a Grand Slam singles title – but her journey to the final served as further inspiration to players from her region.
One of those players, 18 year-old Angella Okutoyi of Kenya, made history of her own on Saturday when she became the first Grand Slam champion from her nation, partnering Rose Marie Nijkamp to victory in the girls doubles final.
Jabeur and Okutoyi are among the players to have benefited from the support of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme (GSPDP). Established in 1986 to encourage and increase competitive opportunities in developing tennis regions, the Programme has become an effective means for the ITF to develop competitive tennis worldwide through its affiliated National Tennis Associations.
“It’s one of the reasons why I’m here today, why I’m winning matches,” Jabeur said. “I really want to thank the Grand Slam Player Development Programme for the way they believed in me. They gave me the chance to achieve my goals.”
Jabeur first received support from the GSPDP as a member of a 14 & Under Touring Team to Europe in 2008. After receiving a series of travel grants between 2009-13, she became one of the first recipients of a Grand Slam Player Grant in 2017. Over the last five years, a total of 116 players have received grants totalling over $3.5 million to help with their travel and other expenses.
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, who defeated Jabeur in Saturday’s final, is another beneficiary of the Player Development Programme, receiving a player grant in 2019, a year in which she improved her WTA ranking from No. 191 to 37.
The Programme also finances junior touring teams, which give promising players a chance for vital international competition, and in the case of Okutokyi, the opportunity to compete in all three junior Grand Slam events this year.
Jabeur’s success is also testament to the work of the Confederation of African Tennis, one of the ITF’s regional associations, whose Tunisian CEO Hichem Riani first spotted Jabeur as an 11-year-old in her home town of Sousse, and encouraged her to move to Tunis where she was able to combine her studies with her tennis development. She became a three-time African junior champion, and also helped Tunisia reach the finals of the World Junior Tennis competition and Junior Billie Jean King Cup.
At the heart of her success has been the love of her country and its people, and to this day she is still based in Tunis, where she works with her Tunisian coach Issam Jellali and surrounded by friends and family. While she was unable to achieve her ultimate ambition on Saturday, her run to the final and Okutoyi’s junior triumph have provided a much needed boost for African tennis.