Heading into the Madrid Open Ons Jabeur was seen training with the help of a familiar face from the world of Spanish tennis.
This week the Tunisian has enlisted the help of former top 10 player Fernando Verdasco, who won seven ATP titles during his career and reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Australian Open. Their partnership is expected to only last the duration of the tournament with Jaber’s full-time coach, Issam Jellali, unable to attend the event.
“I’m trying to get the Spanish mentality on the clay, apparently it’s not that bad to play with that,” Jabeur told reporters on Thursday.
“We’re close friends and he just had his third baby, so we’re having the energy of a new baby in the team. It’s nice to have him, I’ve always been a fan of him as a player, but also as a person because he has such amazing energy. He’s helping me this week, so hopefully we can have more matches together.”
Jabeur’s latest collaboration has got off to a winning start in Madrid after she outlasted Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, in a marathon encounter. It is only her fourth win during what has been a lacklustre start to the season. Last week in Stuttgart, she ended a run of five straight losses on the Tour. In recent weeks, the world No.9 has been troubled by a flare-up of a knee injury.
The hope for Jabeur is that she will be able to get back on track in Madrid which is an event she won back in 2022 and it is still the most prestigious title of her career to date.
“I was joking with Aryna (Sabalenka), I was like, she won it in 2021, I won it in 2022, she won it in 2023, and I’m like, it’s time for me in 2024, it’s like back and forth, you know,” said Jabeur.
“I enjoy playing here, especially when I really find my rhythm because I feel like the small altitude here really helps.”.
Jabeur will next play Leylah Fernandez in the third round on Saturday.
