MADRID: There is a quote from the animated movie “Ratatouille” that Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur loves.
The character, chef Auguste Gusteau, says: “You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work.
“And you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.”
As the highest-ranked African and Arab player in tennis history, Jabeur has certainly never let where she comes from define her limits.
“I love that quote because it connects believing with not giving up.
“‘The only limit is your soul,’ that’s what he says. And honestly that touched me. I love it,” the three-time Grand Slam finalist told Arab News on the sidelines of the ongoing Madrid Open.
Jabeur is a former champion in Madrid. When she clinched the title in 2022, she became the first Arab and African woman to win a WTA 1000 title.
In the weeks that followed, she reached the final in Rome, won Berlin, rose to a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world and made it to the Wimbledon final.
The 30-year-old’s journey is a series of history-making feats.
And as someone who has inspired millions across the globe, it was particularly meaningful to her when she met another Arab icon on the eve of the Madrid Open this week.
At the players’ restaurant at the Caja Magica, Jabeur and members of her team were spotted dining with none other than Morocco’s Nawal El-Moutawakel.
The Moroccan athlete won the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, to become the first African and Arab woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Jabeur was thrilled to meet El-Moutawakel for the first time. “She’s amazing,” said Jabeur, who is a three-time Olympian.
“It was such an honor for me to know her personally and to know her stories. She’s so fun, her energy is amazing. And honestly, it makes me feel like a proud Arab woman to meet an Arab icon like that.”
Jabeur has spent the past month on the sidelines recovering from a calf injury she sustained during her third-round clash with Jasmine Paolini at the Miami Open.
She returns to action on Friday in the Spanish capital, where she is due to face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the second round.
“I’m feeling much better. I took my time. I’m glad I took some time off. I took a lot of time to do rehab. And now I’m feeling, let’s put it, 90 percent good,” the Tunisian said ahead of her Madrid opener.
“I spent two weeks (at home in Tunis). I also went to travel a little bit to just enjoy time in France and see my family. But yeah, it’s been so good to be home. I’m starting to like it, which is not a good sign,” she added with a laugh.
“But yeah, really, this year, I just want to listen to my body. I’m done forcing my body to play any tournaments that I don’t feel like playing and just try to enjoy my time as much as I can.”
Jabeur has had bad luck with injuries as of late. She had to shut down her season in early August last year, missing the US Open, due to a shoulder problem, and came back at the start of 2025 in Australia ranked 42 in the world.
Now back in the top 30, Jabeur is pacing herself as she searches for her best form, and says she has been trying to see the positive side of her recent injury hiatuses.
“Sometimes I try to see the good in it. When I get injured, I have so much time at home, which is good, it’s nice. But yeah, I get a little bit tired of coming back to the tournaments, actually.
“But I think, I’m just taking it slow and let’s see what the future holds,” she said.
Whether she is in peak form, or returning from an injury layoff, Jabeur continues to be a positive presence on the tennis tour.
A popular figure among her peers, Jabeur shows up to work every day with a big smile on her face, spreading good vibes on and off the court.
After over a decade on the circuit, what keeps Jabeur eager to wake up in the morning and pick up a tennis racket?
“I have an amazing team, really, with me,” replied the three-time Grand Slam finalist.
“Karim (Kamoun), my husband, my fitness coach, Issam (Jellali), my coach. Now I have my mental coach, Melanie (Maillard), with me. I feel like the discussion around it, everything around it, setting up my goals with them, it’s very important.
And I know that I have an option, if I don’t want to go on court, I would not.
“Maybe before it was a bit difficult. But now I always try to find the motivation. I try to always laugh as well. That helps me a lot to be who I am and not be surrounded by losing or winning and all of that.
“I believe that tennis is always a happy place for me. If one day it’s not, then there is actually a problem. For now, I’m enjoying it, so it’s good.”
Jabeur has been working with her psychologist Maillard since 2017 and the Frenchwoman travels with her to a few tournaments every year.
Psychology is a subject Jabeur is particularly interested in, and she has boundless curiosity, not just to better understand herself, but others around her as well.
“That’s why I honestly have no hate for no player, because everybody is coming from a different background. Everybody has their own hurt. And I don’t know what they have been through.
“So I really try not to judge,” she added.
“Melanie helps me with the stress before the matches, anxiety, everything around. Understand the player that I am, understand my worth.
“Because I’ve seen so many successful human beings, not only tennis players, but there’s always that insecurities like, am I good enough? Am I going to make it, you know?
“And it’s fascinating that no matter how big the result is, we can doubt ourselves a lot.”
