After her first victory at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico last night, Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur announced that she would donate a portion of her prize money from the tournament to help the Palestinians. Jabeur, a former world number two, avenged her loss in the Wimbledon final by defeating Czech player Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-3, reviving her chances of reaching the semifinals. Jabeur had lost to American Coco Gauff the previous Monday.
In a post-match interview, Jabeur appeared visibly emotional as she tried to hold back tears while discussing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. "I am very happy to win the match, but I haven't felt very happy over the last few days. The situation in the world does not make me happy," she said. As she attempted to control her emotions, she added, "So I feel like... I’m sorry. It’s really hard to see children and infants dying every day. It’s very painful. I've decided to donate a part of my prize money to help the Palestinians. This is not a political message; it’s a humanitarian one. I hope peace prevails in this world. That’s all there is to it."
In her final match in the group stage, Jabeur, 29, will face the top-ranked Polish player Iga Swiatek. Jabeur is aiming to reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career after exiting the group stage in 2022.
