Ons Jabeur & Mayar Sherif continue to be path-breakers for Arab sport with new endorsement deals

World No. 31 Ons Jabeur has signed an endorsement deal with Tunisie Telecom - the second high-profile partnership for the top-ranked Arab woman this month. Tunisie Telecom is the incumbent telecom operator in Tunisia, with more than 6 million subscribers in the fixed and mobile telephony sector.

As part of the deal, the 26-year-old will sport the Tunisie Telecom logo in tennis competitions over the next two years.

This continues the trend of big sponsorship deals for female tennis players from Arab countries, headlined by Ons Jabeur and Egypt's Mayar Sherif. Jabeur made history earlier this year with her spirited run at the Australian Open, becoming the first Arab player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final.

The Tunisian, who defeated four top 50 players in Melbourne before losing to eventual winner Sofia Kenin, is confident that the partnership with Tunisie Telecom will prove to be mutually beneficial.

"I am very proud to wear the colors of our national operator Tunisie Telecom," Ons Jabeur said. "I also have the firm conviction that the values of excellence shared by the world of high-level sport and that of the company will allow us to accomplish great achievements together. This partnership will be fruitful for both parties."

Earlier this month, Ons Jabeur had signed a sponsorship contract with the airline Qatar Airways.

Ons Jabeur and Mayar Sherif are breaking new ground for female tennis players in the Arab world

Mayar Sherif

Besides Ons Jabeur, Egypt's Mayar Sherif has also been making waves on the tennis circuit. Sherif has climbed from No. 779 at the end of 2018 to No. 128 in the rankings currently.

Earlier this year, the 24-year-old won three qualifying matches to become the first Egyptian female player to make it into the main draw at Roland Garros.

Sherif also hit the headlines last month after landing an endorsement deal with the telecom operator Vodafone.

Ons Jabeur is a former junior Grand Slam winner, and has 11 singles titles on the ITF circuit to her name. She also reached the final of the WTA Kremlin Cup in 2018, and was named the Arab Woman of the Year in Sports in 2019.

Mayar Sherif meanwhile has won nine singles and six doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She also won the 2019 African Games, a result that qualifies her for the Tokyo Olympics as long as she maintains a ranking within the top 300 as on 7 June 2021. That seems like a pretty good bet right now.