What are the reasons for the subsequent failures of the “last leg” of Arab tennis icon Anas Jaber? | Sports matters

“I have fought for so long to win my first WTA title. My defeat at the US Open is difficult to accept, but I am not one to give up, I am sure I will come back strong, the most important thing is to learn from the many finals I have. lost”.

With these phrases, and under the rain of applause from the fans in the stands of the “Arthur Ashe” stadium in New York, tennis player Anas Jaber intervened after losing the final of the US Open against Polish world number one Iga Chiantek in two sets without an answer, before she couldn’t get over her tears as her trainer, Issam Al-Jalali and physical trainer Karim Kamon, tried to mitigate the impact of defeat on her.

Indeed, this touching message to the icon of Arab tennis was nothing more than the expression of a renewed sense of heartbreak at the last stage of the tournament, in a scenario that has been repeated several times and that Jaber has suffered for a long time. year.

heartbreak and determination

In less than a year and a half, Jaber has missed the title on 6 occasions of the final 8 rounds he participated in, including the Wimbledon and American Open finals, so failure in the final morphed into something like a tough obstacle to the game. player whose stock has increased at an astounding rate over the past two years. she, as she often successfully completed all stages to reach the final, before being defeated by an identical scenario in the decisive match and losing a title that was close to her.

While the fans of the yellow ball and those of Anas Jaber anxiously awaited her first Grand Slam title, the Tunisian player lost – last Saturday – another final role, the second consecutive in the major tournaments and the sixth since April 2021.

During her coronation ceremony as runner-up at Chiatnik, Anas Jaber said – in direct statements – “It won’t be easy to forget the two weeks I lived in New York. I know that one day I will be one of the winners of a major league. it took time to crown my first professional title, and it will take time for me to win a major championship as well. That title will come with difficulty, but it will come one day. “

Previously, Anas Jaber’s abandonment of the title in the crucial stages sparked controversy over the psychophysical preparation supervised by her team of coaches, but the player at that moment responded by saying: “I thank my team, who worked hard for help me develop my level throughout this period, we all hoped that the end was better, my confidence in myself and in the crew that works with me continues, I owe to them and my family what I have achieved “.

Lost opportunities at the crucial moment

And between April 2021 and September 2022, Anas Jaber played 8 final rounds in the WTA, but missed the title on 6 occasions. In April 2021, she missed the chance to crown the American “Charleston” tournament, when she lost the final to Australian Sharma by two sets to one, after missing a match to win the competition title, which he gave up again last April against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in two sets to one. .

Anas Jaber failed to win the Chicago 2021 tournament, losing to Spain’s Muguruza (2-1), before the troubles of the final continued to compromise the Rome Open title (1,000 points) ahead of his traditional rival, “Iga Chiatnik lo last May, then the Wimbledon and America finals were open.

The Tunisian player instead won the Madrid tournament (1,000 points) in May 2022 and that of Berlin (500 points) in June of the same year.

Commenting on the loss of crowning chances on several occasions, the Tunisian coach, Abdel Razzaq and her, told Al Jazeera Net: “Before talking about the circumstances of the defeat of the Arab champion in the final of the American Tournament, it is necessary to pay tribute to what I consider a fictional goal for Anas Jaber and results that no tennis player or player will be able to equal, but it is certain that the technical, physical and mental errors committed by Anas have made a difference in favor of the Polish rival, as the sport of tennis requires complete concentration during the highlights of the match.

He told her: “There are direct mistakes made by Anas Jaber, personal mistakes related to her, not to her competition. At a high level, such as Wimbledon, US Open or other major tournaments, the player must avoid direct mistakes that are considered to be zigzagging the game. game, and unfortunately Anas failed in this particular point. Despite returning to the second half, and after arriving two sets to four late, the Tunisian managed to rebalance, but quickly fell back into the trap of direct errors fatal.

And the coach who oversees the training of the Sfax Academy tennis players (south) added: “The problem was mental. The Polish competition went through a period of emptiness in the second half that Anas was unable to exploit, as it got confused in the some balls and lost mind control, and I think the cup image came to her mind. ” Before the end of the match, it also happened in the Wimbledon final last July. “

The speaker believes that the solution “lies in greater mental concentration and work to avoid direct mistakes, but this does not prevent us from saying that Iga Shevtnak was a minor mistake than Anas, and this is what solved the comparison. Overall, this does not in any way detract from Anas Jaber’s historic achievement, considered Pride for Tunisia and Arab tennis, and the coronation will surely come soon, “he said.

After neglecting the Wimbledon championship, Anas Jaber admitted that “little mistakes she made at crucial moments prevented her from winning the title” at the time.

Jaber is one of the players who has achieved a challenging career in the sport of yellow ball, but has missed more than one title at the last stage, as happens to many tennis players and players, such as the British Andy Murray, who lost the final of the Grand Slam 6 times completely and perfectly, including 5 finals at the Australian Open, and Spaniard Aranxa Sancher, who lost 6 finals in the four Grand Tours.

And Anas, who regained second place in the professional ranking on Monday, deserved to be the “Minister of Happiness” – the title awarded by the Tunisians, after becoming the first Arab and African player to reach the final last July. of one of four major tournaments after qualifying for the Wimbledon final, before adding a new milestone last Thursday and becoming the first Arab and African to reach the US Open final.

During her professional career, which began in the Qatar Open 2012, the 28-year-old won three titles, namely Birmingham in 2021, Madrid and Berlin in 2022.

–