Ons Jabeur has set her sights on meeting David Beckham again as she aims to make it third time lucky at Wimbledon this summer.
Jabeur, the world number nine, has lost the last two finals at SW19 as she went down to Elena Rybakina in 2022 and Marketa Vondrousova last year in what she described as the “most painful defeat of her career”.
It was on her way to the final last year that she met former England captain Beckham, who she described as a hero.
The pair have since communicated over their respective documentaries, with Jabeur appearing in the Break Point series on Netflix, and the Tunisian hopes their paths will cross again this year.
“I haven’t seen him since but I actually messaged him about his documentary on Netflix because I really loved it,” she said.
“He shared my documentary as well, it was a nice exchange. I wish I could see him again this year.
“He is such a huge tennis fan and looking forward to seeing him again.”
Jabeur was in tears at the end of her defeat to Vondrousova last year, and was comforted by the Princess of Wales but still believes she will one day be the queen of Centre Court.
“It is definitely feeling much better than last year, but time is helping me heal from that,” she said. “I have learned a lot from that experience.
“I am really looking forward to playing all of the grass tournaments, especially Wimbledon. It is what it is, everything happens for a reason. I am really trying to take the positive from it.
“Definitely, the belief is there that I can win it one day. I play tennis for many reasons but the main one is belief and if that stops, I don’t see much point in playing tennis.”
The grass court season starts for @EmmaRaducanu & @Ons_Jabeur 👊
An elite practice session at the #RothesayOpen Nottingham pic.twitter.com/a7aZdpTBMQ
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 9, 2024
Jabeur begins her Wimbledon warm-up at the Nottingham Open, where she practised with British star Emma Raducanu on Sunday.
Raducanu is playing her first tournament in this country since Wimbledon 2022 following injury problems and Jabeur was impressed with her level.
“She is practising really well, she is hitting some great balls,” she said. “She has been practising on grass for a long time.
“I know I love how Emma plays, I love her personality and I honestly wish to see her succeed.”