Ons Jabeur said she was grateful to receive a hug from Kate, Princess of Wales, after suffering "the most painful loss of my career" in Saturday's Wimbledon women's final.
Tunisian Jabeur came up short in her latest quest to be crowned the first African or Arab women's Grand Slam champion, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.
It was the second successive defeat in a Wimbledon final for 28-year-old Jabeur and her third loss in as many Grand Slam finals after she also lost the 2022 US Open championship decider.
"Hugs are always welcome," a tearful Jabeur said during her post-match press conference when asked about her interaction with the British royal during the trophy presentation at Centre Court.
Jabeur also acknowledged the comforting words of Kim Clijsters, the International Tennis Hall of Fame member who was defeated in her first four major finals before winning the next four.
Former world No 1 Clijsters lost the 2001 and 2003 French Open finals, the US Open title match in 2003 and the Australian Open final in 2004.
But the Belgian eventually ended her career as a four-time major champion, winning her first in New York in 2005.
"I love Kim so much. She's a great inspiration for me," said Jabeur who was consoled by Clijsters behind the scenes at Centre Court.
"The fact that she takes the time to give me advice and to really hug me, always be there for me, I think it's priceless.
"She was telling me all the time she lost four. That's why I know the information, otherwise would have been tough. But, yeah, that's the positive out of it. You cannot force things. It wasn't meant to be."
Her day started awkwardly: Jabeur showed up to the main stadium to warm up before the match wearing black clothes, which is against the All England Club’s rules requiring white attire on the competition courts.
So she had to interrupt that hitting session to go change.
“It was just an honest mistake,” she said.
Jabeur was seeded sixth at Wimbledon and beat four past Grand Slam champions along the way to Saturday, including Elena Rybakina, whom she lost to in the 2022 Wimbledon final.
But Jabeur said she was too tense against the unseeded Vondrousova, and the statistics seemed to bear that out.
Only 48 per cent of her first serves landed in and she was broken a half-dozen times. Her 17 unforced errors on that stroke alone were more than Vondrousova’s 13 total mistakes.
In all, Jabeur made 31 unforced errors.
No matter how much she tried to relax by taking deep breaths, no matter how much she tried to calm down with little chats to herself, it didn’t solve the problem.
“It’s painful,” she said, “because you feel so close to achieving something that you want, and actually [now go] back to square one.”
Jabeur has established herself as one of the best – and most popular – players in women’s tennis, reaching three of the past five major finals.
And her 28 wins on grass over the past three seasons were the most by anyone since Maria Sharapova picked up 30 victories from 2004-06, a stretch that included a Wimbledon title.
“Will definitely keep learning, keep being positive. I think that’s the thing that will keep me going,” Jabeur said. “Otherwise, if I’m going to be depressed about it, it’s not going to help much.”
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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