Wimbledon finalist Jabeur gets huge welcome as she returns home to Tunisia
A hero’s welcome for Tunisia’s favourite star
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur talks to the media outside the Carthage International Airport (AI/Reuters/Panoramic)
Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur returned to Tunisia on Wednesday and was welcomed back by hundreds of fans, reporters, and broadcasters.
She landed back at Tunis-Carthage International Airport to be greeted by a rapturous celebration, in recognition of her achievements at the grass-court Grand Slam.
She posed for photos with fans and was even presented with a bouquet of flowers.
The 27-year-old has often spoken about her pride in her country and her desire to inspire. After her semi-final win last week, she told the press: “It’s always about Tunisia somehow. I want to go bigger, inspire many more generation. Tunisia is connected to the Arab world, is connected to the African continent. The area, we want to see more players. It’s not like Europe or any other countries. I want to see more players from my country, from the Middle East, from Africa.
“I think we didn’t believe enough at certain point that we can do it. Now I’m just trying to show that. Hopefully people are getting inspired.”
Jabeur is the highest ranked African and Arab player in history, having reached world No 2 just ahead of Wimbledon.
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