Ons Jabeur has praised the fighting spirit of Coco Gauff following the American’s comeback win over the Tunisian tennis star in Tuesday’s French Open quarter-finals.
Gauff fell behind in the first set 4-6 but came back in the next two sets, winning 6-2, 6-3.
Jabeur has now lost back-to-back French Open quarter-finals but it did not stop her from waxing lyrical about Gauff who has reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the second time.
“Yeah, I think Coco is an amazing player. My favorite thing about Coco is her fighting spirit. I think she’s playing, like, great tennis right now, but I saw her playing better before,” the eighth seed said.
“Obviously she’s such a fighter, she always try to find ways, she’s really smart on the court. I definitely see her becoming, you know, maybe the Big 4. They have the Big 3 right now (smiling). Yeah, I think she has a long way — she’s what, No. 3 right now? And having a lot of things to improve, it’s actually good news for a player.”
Congrats on a great run, Ons. See you next year!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/DnHj7MIpUm
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2024
Jabeur added: “Well, I think quarterfinals is not bad. I’ll take it, anyways. Yeah, I mean, clay obviously demands a lot of physical, you know, strength for sure.
“I think I felt good, you know, some moments, not like others, but I’m trying to get better. The fitness preparation is something else, but yeah, I’ll try to get better, try to manage the pressure and the stress even better. I just love this tournament, and I really find, you know, my way to play. I really enjoy playing here, especially, you know, seeing that the crowd is chanting in the middle of the game, it’s really nice atmosphere.”
Gauff will play world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals for a chance to reach her second French Open final when she lost to the same opponent in 2022.
