Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur honoured on postage stamp

By David Ochieng Mbewa

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur is one of 22 Tunisian women honoured in commemoratory postage stamps released by the country’s postal service on Saturday.

The stamps were issued to celebrate women who have influenced the country’s course of history and events on the day the North African nation marked National Women’s Day.

A photo of the commemorative stamp bearing Tunisia tennis player Ons Jabeur’s image to be issued by the country’s postal service. /TWITTER/@OnsJabeurFans

National Women’s Day is a public holiday in Tunisia celebrated annually on August 13 to commemorate the adoption of progressive laws supporting women’s rights in the country.

Jabeur has put her country and, indeed the continent, on the global tennis map following her exploits in the sport, particularly during the last couple of years.

The 27-year-old, who is currently ranked fifth in the world, has set many firsts for African and Arab women, and in some cases men, as she has rocketed up the WTA rankings and won several admirers both on and off the court.

In 2020, she became the first Arab woman to make an appearance at a Grand Slam quarterfinal when she progressed to the last eight at the Australian Open.

In June last year, she became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title when she triumphed at the Viking Classic Birmingham and just a month later became the first Arab woman to qualify for and play in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

In October that year, she became the first Arab player – man or woman – to break into the top 10 rankings.

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur during an award ceremony after the 2022 Wimbledon women’s singles final match. /CFP

2022 has been even more successful as she became the first Arab and North African player to win a WTA1000 event after claiming the Madrid Open. She also went on to reach the final at Wimbledon where she suffered a surprise defeat to Elena Rybakina. Jabeur has also managed to climb as high as second in the WTA rankings.

She has previously said that she wants to inspire young girls in Tunisia, Africa and the Arab world to get involved in tennis. Her success has seen the number of people playing the sport at Tennis Club de Tunis, the country’s oldest tennis club, rise sharply.

Last month, Jabeur received an Order of Sports Merit from President Kais Saied for her sporting success and raising Tunisia’s profile in international sporting events.

(Story compiled with assistance from wire reports)

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