Ons Jabeur is a two-time Grand Slam finalist and one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour.
Few tennis players are more popular than Tunisia’s Jabeur, who has amassed over 1.5 million social media followers.
Jabeur reached her career-high of number two in the world back in 2022, just before she achieved her best result at a Major tournament.
The 30-year-old became the first African woman to reach a Grand Slam final, when she did so at Wimbledon three years ago, losing out to Elena Rybakina in three sets.
Her grass-court form continued one year later, as she again lost in the final, this time to Czech WTA star Marketa Vondrousova.
Since then her form has dipped ever so slightly, reaching just one Major quarter-final, at the 2024 French Open.
Despite her recent struggles, Jabeur has maintained strong relationships with the stars of women’s tennis, as she has now revealed who her best friends are on tour.
Ons Jabeur says Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa are her two best friends on the WTA Tour
Appearing as a guest on the Nothing Major podcast, Tunisia’s Jabeur was asked who her best friends are on the WTA Tour.
“I am friends with Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka,” she said.
“We don’t hang out a lot, I probably hang out more with Paula but we talk about stuff.
“We get each other’s opinion about the tour and everything that is happening.
“We gossip, they are nice.”
Sabalenka beat Badosa in the Australian Open semi-finals in January, as the Belarussian advanced to her third consecutive final in Melbourne.
The Spaniard has struggled against the world number one in recent times, as has Jabeur, who has now revealed what frustrated her when playing Sabalenka during their earlier encounters.
“I used to hate playing against Aryna because the way she hits the ball, sometimes you could not see it and I got frustrated from the speed,” she said.
“But people would tell me you have the touch but I think speed could definitely beat the touch.
“But now I really enjoy our matches.”
Jabeur has become well known for her ‘touch’ in recent years and has been nominated for January’s WTA ‘Shot of the Month’, for her effort against Danielle Collins in Adelaide.
How well has Ons Jabeur performed against Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa?
Jabeur may be friendly with Sabalenka and Badosa, but how has she fared against the world number one and ten over the years?
The 30-year-old has faced off against Sabalenka six times on the WTA Tour, winning just two of their encounters.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2023 Cincinnati – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Ons Jabeur | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2023 Wimbledon – SF | Ons Jabeur | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 WTA Finals – RR | Aryna Sabalenka | Ons Jabeur | 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 |
| 2021 Wimbledon – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Ons Jabeur | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2021 Abu Dhabi – R16 | Aryna Sabalenka | Ons Jabeur | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2020 French Open – R32 | Ons Jabeur | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 |
Her best win against Sabalenka came at Wimbledon in 2023, as she won a thrilling three-set battle to secure her spot in the final for the second year running.
Jabeur has enjoyed a similarly tough time of things against Badosa, losing four of their five encounters, since they first faced off ten years ago.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2023 Rome – R64 | Paula Badosa | Ons Jabeur | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2022 Stuttgart – QF | Paula Badosa | Ons Jabeur | 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 |
| 2021 Indian Wells – SF | Paula Badosa | Ons Jabeur | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2021 Miami – R64 | Ons Jabeur | Paula Badosa | 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 |
| 2015 US Open – (Q) R1 | Paula Badosa | Ons Jabeur | 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 |
What’s next for Ons Jabeur in 2025 on the WTA Tour?
The world number 34 hasn’t started the year poorly by any means, producing some strong performances in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne.
- 2025 Australian Open (3R) – Lost to [8] Emma Navarro in three sets
- 2025 Australian Open (2R) – Beat Camila Osorio in two sets
- 2025 Australian Open (1R) – Beat Anhelina Kalinina in two sets
- 2025 Adelaide International (R16) – Lost to Yulia Putintseva in two sets
- 2025 Adelaide International (R32) – Beat [4] Danielle Collins in two sets
- 2025 Brisbane International (QF) – Lost to [8] Mirra Andreeva in two sets
- 2025 Brisbane International (R16) – Beat Elina Avanesyan in three sets
- 2025 Brisbane International (R32) – Beat [14] Ekaterina Alexandrova in two sets
- 2025 Brisbane International (R64) – Beat Zheng Saisai in two sets
Currently 6-3 for the year, Jabeur will be looking to build on a solid month down under, as she heads to her next WTA tournament.
The Tunisian star will appear at this month’s Abu Dhabi Open, where she will compete alongside the likes of Rybakina, Badosa, and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Jabeur beat Raducanu in Abu Dhabi last year, before falling at the quarter-final stage to Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.
She’ll be hoping to go further this year and pick up her first WTA title since September, 2023, before heading to Doha, and Dubai, for their WTA 1000 events later in the month.
The 2025 Abu Dhabi Open kicks off on February 3, at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.
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