"My heart always goes out to Gaza" - Ons Jabeur expresses sadness at 'forgotten' situation as she calls for peace

Ons Jabeur has given an interview in which she expresses her sadness at the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Jabeur took time out from her Wimbledon preparations to examine the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, having spoken out before about the war between Israel and Hamas in the region.

Jabeur is one of just two Arabs in the Wimbledon draw. The other is Mayar Sherif. Given her status as a three-time Grand Slam finalist and a five-time winner on the WTA tour, Jabeur has emerged as tennis's go-to spokesperson on the situation in the Middle East. Jabeur was the No. 2 player in the world in 2022, making her the highest-ranked Arab player in history.

The National News.com interviewed Jabeur, and she didn't hold back her views about the conflict. The 30-year-old Tunisian bemoaned the fact that the Palestinians' plight appears to be worsening:

"My heart always goes out to Gaza because their situation is getting worse and worse and I feel like people are forgetting about them"

Jabeur also talked about her concerns that ordinary people in Gaza are suffering the most. In her view, politicians on both sides of the argument have forgotten the true victims of the war:

"I feel like nobody's doing anything. I feel like the civilians are always paying the price for the crazy choices that politicians are making. And I wish peace everywhere. My heart goes out to the children and women and men that are dying every day there."

Jabeur also discussed her role as an international sportswoman and representative of her country and fellow Arabs. She is upset that the situation does not appear to be improving:

"My heart goes out to the children and women and men that are dying every day there. They're not only being killed, but also being starved, which is very inhuman. We are in 2025 and the world is not changing. I feel like they're not doing anything about it. It is very sad. I hope everything stops and every war … It's a pretty scary world right now."

Ons Jabeur has played on the WTA Tour since 2010. She had her best years in 2022 and 2023, reaching two Wimbledon finals and a US Open final.

Ons Jabeur's 2025 Wimbledon has ended early after a first-round exit

Previews: The Championships - Wimbledon 2025 - Source: Getty

Despite Ons Jabeur's private turmoil, she's still managed to perform on the world stage as a tennis professional. While a 15-14 win-loss record for the season is below par for her, she managed quarterfinal runs in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and most recently in Berlin. She told the National News that her memories of Wimbledon are mixed after her two final losses at the All-England Club.

"It's a good and bad memory here. So I'm trying to really enjoy as much as I can,” she says. Try to find that freedom when I'm playing and the joy when I'm playing. It's been a tough year, I would say. But yeah, it is what it is. I'm trying to repeat some positive words to myself that … I don't want to carry the disappointment that happened before and then hopefully I can move on with it."

Jabeur played Viktoriya Tomova in the first round at Wimbledon. After losing the first set on a tie-break, the Tunisian was 0-2 in the second set when she felt unwell and was forced to retire.