World number two Ons Jabeur of Tunisia has highlighted her close friendship with Tatjana Maria ahead of their semi-final clash at Wimbledon.
“I love Tatjana so much, her family is great. She’s my barbecue friend,” said third seed Jabeur after her 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Czech Marie Bouzkova. “It will be tough to play against her. She is a good friend. I am very happy that she is in the semi-finals.”
She would like others to look up to Maria. “She’s a semi-finalist and has two kids. It’s an incredible story,” said Jabeur, 27.
Maria, seven years her senior, had earlier won the German quarter-final against Jule Niemeier 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 and, like Jabeur, reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. “She’s part of my family, she loves my kids,” Maria enthused before Thursday’s match, recounting Jabeur’s intimate relationship with her two daughters: “She’s always playing tennis with Charlotte, she loves Ceci. “
