Ons Jabeur recently highlighted Serena Williams, Coco Gauff and others’ contributions in a moving criticism of the contrasting perceptions of men’s and women’s tennis. According to Jabeur, men’s tennis is still unfairly seen as the more superior product compared to women’s tennis, and through the critique, the Tunisian opined that shouldn’t be the case.
On Friday, May 30, the former WTA No. 2 took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote a lengthy message. She started off by taking a general look at how, in her opinion, women’s tennis continues to be undermined and how, despite the undermining, female players continue competing.
“Judgment comes quickly often from those who’ve never even watched a full match. One empty stadium is held up as proof. The packed ones? Conveniently ignored. A missed shot becomes a headline. Still, they show up. Still, they compete. Still, they carry a sport forward on their shoulders,” she wrote.
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Going on to bemoan the differing responses to similar situations spanning men's and women's tennis, Ons Jabeur added:
"When a woman wins 6-0, 6-0, it's called boring. Too easy. When a man does it? That's "dominance." "Strength." "Unstoppable." When women play with power, they're told they "play like men." As if strength, speed, or aggression don't belong in a woman's game. If they celebrate, they're dramatic. If they don't, they're cold. Too emotional. Too distant. Too loud. Too quiet. Too much. Never just right. And yet the game keeps rising."
Next, the three-time Major runner-up proceeded to bring up iconic names from the past and present of women's tennis, including Venus and Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and others. In a unique way, Ons Jabeur wrote about how each of them have brought something special to women's tennis.
"Coco Gauff leads with fearless belief. Aryna Sabalenka strikes with unmatched power. Iga Swiatek dominates with calm and precision. Jessica Pegula brings relentless consistency. Paula Badosa fights through every storm. Mirra Andreeva breaks through, young and fearless. Jasmine Paolini lights up the court with fire and courage. Elena Rybakina is composed and lethal," Jabeur continued.
She further stated:
"Naomi Osaka opened up about the battles off the court and kept showing up. Venus and Serena Williams broke barriers and then broke records. The game is full of stories. Of greatness. Of fight. Of grace under pressure. And still many choose not to look. Not to listen. Not to care."
Jabeur concluded her message by acknowledging the undeniable positives of men's tennis, but urged fans to also acknowledge women's tennis before signing off.
Read the entirety of the Tunisian's message below:
Ons Jabeur's message comes on the back of her criticsm of the French Open for ignoring women's matches for night sessions at this year's edition of Roland Garros.
"Whoever is making the decision, I don't think they have daughters" - Ons Jabeur's scathing criticism of French Open amid absence of women's matches from night sessions
Much has been made of and said about the complete absence of women's matches from the night sessions at this year's French Open. While some women's players, like Coco Gauff, have not complained too much about the situation, Ons Jabeur has blatantly criticized the clay Major's chiefs over their controversial decision. The Tunisian said:
"It’s sad we are still seeing this. In Europe, it’s unfortunate for women’s sports in general. Whoever is making the decision, I don’t think they have daughters, because I don’t think they want to treat their daughters like this. It’s a bit ironic. They don’t show women’s sport, they don’t show women’s tennis, and then they ask the question, ‘yeah, but mostly they watch men’. Of course they watch men more because you show men more."
The French Tennis Federation's President, Gilles Moretton though, has vociferously defended the decision. According to Moretton, spectators' preferences were kept in mind when the schedule was made.
Last year, a similar controversy erupted after night session matches in Paris didn't feature a single women's match. Even back then, Jabeur had made similar critical remarks, opining that the decision was made without keeping women's tennis' interests in consideration.
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo was recently asked about the controversy as well. She was dismissive of suggestions that the decision to not include women's matches in the night sessions was based on the feeling of women's players being undeserving of competing during primetime slots.
As far as Ons Jabeur's 2025 French Open campaign is concerned, it came to a disappointingly early end for the Tunisian. She was ousted from the tournament after losing her first-round match to No. 25 seed Magdalena Frech.
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