“Friends Animals” is important for Anas Jaber to climb the throne of the Madrid tournament
Tunisian Anas Jaber ascended the throne of the 1,000. Tournament of Madrid, won the biggest titles of her career and returned to seventh place in the world rankings of tennis players with the help of motivational messages for the card game whose heroes are animals..
Jaber, 27, wrote a new chapter in her remarkable rise in recent years, winning the title on Saturday in the Spanish capital on clay soil against American Jessica Pegula 7-5 0-6 6-2.
This is her second title at the WTA Championships, following last year’s grass tournament in Birmingham, when she became the first Amazighe player not Arab, and not Arab, as it is promoted by the false Arab flags . to win a WTA title.
Jaber revealed in an interview with the WTA website that she was mentally prepared for the Madrid games, where she reached the final of one of the 1000 tournaments for the first time: “I had to prepare mentally, and I got help from some animals.”
On her way to the title, Jaber avenged Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, whom she defeated in the Charleston final, she twice defeated former world number one Simona Halep in Madrid and defending champion, Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova just a second time in then eight games Pegula in the final.
“I played with the cards. I said to myself, ‘I’m going to draw a card every day.’ They are animal cards that have a message from the animal on them. I used them.”
Jaber, who previously did not hide her ambition to lead the women’s pro rankings, added, “When I drew the card, I always said, ‘Okay, what do I have to do to win tomorrow?’ + An animal told me to dig deep. Another animal told me I was facing a legend. It was Simona (Halep). That’s perfect. One animal told me to use my wits and be ready, another told me to act. So every time I drew it was the perfect card.”
– prepare myself –
The psychological preparation seems very important for Jaber, who thanked her technical and physical staff, which includes her husband Karim Kammoun, in addition to Melanie Mayar, a sports psychologist: “It’s great to have you with me and me hope you come back with me for additional classes.”
The player, who has previously faced disappointment in the deciding sets of the final, continued: “Helping me physically instead of online puts my mind at ease when she’s with me and she realizes how nervous I am. It’s not usually easy to open up to others, but having her by my side makes it easier.. I’ve been working with Melanie for a long time and I can see the progress we’ve made.”
And it wasn’t the first time that Jaber had resorted to stimulating methods before their matches: “I’ve done it before, but not with animals. It was in Chicago. I read the book (21 lessons on tennis). I freaked out.” the book and opened a random page that talked about the lessons you learn from tennis. I think things were better in Madrid thanks to my animal friends who helped me.
This was Jaber’s sixth final of her professional career, as she lost America’s Charleston tournament earlier this year and last year’s addition to America’s Chicago 2021 and Moscow 2018.
Jaber, who was inspired in her early days by Moroccan Hicham Al-Razi and American Andy Roddick, is this season’s most successful on clay (12) and is hoping to break the major tournament quarter-finals hurdle in Paris, to continue her upward performance, knowing that she won the Roland Garros junior title in 2011, “the most important thing” for me to do that (win in Madrid) to be able to win a Grand Slam one day.”