Beaming with delight after dismissing the second seed Aryna Sabalenka in a pulsating semi-final, Ons Jabeur immediately sounded a note of caution about Marketa Vondrousova who she will face in the women's singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.
"I'm going for my revenge," said Jabeur. "I didn't win against her this year.
Those two losses came on the hard courts at the Australian Open in January and in Indian Wells in the United States in March.
Their only previous encounter on grass dates back to June 2021 in first round at the Eastbourne International in southern England. Jabeur won that in straight sets.
And 28-year-old Jabeur will enter their second clash on grass and her second consecutive Wimbledon final as the favourite against the unseeded Czech.
"She has good hands," added Jabeur of the 24-year-old left-hander. "She plays very good."
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Jabeur might well have been describing herself. The Tunisian is renowned for her touch, spins and guile. Back hand drive down the line from the back of the court? No, too obvious. For Jabeur? A backhand sliced cross court drop shot.
"That's the percentage shot for Ons," quipped former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova while commentating on Jabeur's quarter-final against defending champion Elena Rybakina.
And yet, Jabeur's game – by her own account – has developed. "I think I'm hitting better," she said. "I'm more confident in my shots. Serve-wise I think it's getting better. And definitely needs to get better, especially playing players like Elena or Aryna, you always need to be serving great. But most of all I think I was hitting, like, fast. If you want to hit hard ... I'm ready to hit hard, too.'
The ability to deploy sustained muscle emerged during the three-set wins over two of the circuit's most vicious hitters.
"She was just going for some crazy shots, which I would say normally she wouldn't put it in," said Sabalenka who conceded that Jabeur also served better towards the end of their match.
Calm
Patience has also been injected into the repertoire. "First you're waiting to win your first Grand Slam, so you have to be patient," Jabeur explained.
"That's one. Two, from the matches against Elena and Aryna I'm learning a lot how to stay in the game. For example, playing someone like Aryna or Elena, even if you're winning their service game love-40, she can make three aces.
"What can you do about it? You have no control. For me, trying to be patient, wait for that moment that you can prove your game."
Vondrousova's return to the top tier has become one of the heart-warming narratives of the 2023 tournament. Last year she missed Wimbledon as she recovered from surgery to her left wrist.
She resumed playing last November and goes into the final at 43 in the world rankings. "It's not always easy to come back," she reflected.
Return
"You don't know if you can play at this level and if you can be back at the top and back at these tournaments. I just feel like I'm just grateful to be on a court again, to play without pain. I'm just really grateful for it."
Vondrousova was touted as one of the next big things in 2019 when she reached the French Open final. Though she lost to Ashleigh Barty, Vondrousova, at 19, had made an impact as the first teenager to contest the French Open final since Ana Ivanovic in 2007 and the first to play in a final at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments since Caroline Wozniacki at the US Open in 2009.
But a wrist injury cut short her season as it did last year. "I just feel like I'm just grateful to be on a court again, to play without pain. I'm just really grateful for it," she added.
She has ridden her luck too. During the quarter final against fourth seed Jessica Pegula, play at was stopped with Pegula leading 3-1 in the final set so the roof could be closed. Though Pegula moved to 4-1 and had several chances for a 5-1 advantage, the pause had arrested her momentum
Vondrousova turned it around and claimed the decider 6-4.
Moves
And in the semis, she profited from Elina Svitolina's inability to maintain the heights that allowed her to crush the top seed Iga Swiatek. She also used different tactics to unsettle the 28-year-old Ukrainian.
Vondrousova pulled Svitolina forward with drop shots and then lobbed her or fired shots past her at the net. Similar ploys could produce an enthralling final in which both players explore the angles and attempot to command the forecourt.
Restored to health, Vondrousova will go into the final boasting another honour – the first unseeded women's finalist at Wimbledon since professional players were allowed to compete at the Grand Slam tournaments. Jabeur will be attempting to become the first African woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish that is handed to the women's singles champion.
The winner's cheque for just over 2.3 million euros? A mere bagatelle for the everlasting glory of a victory one afternoon in south-west London.
