Ons Jabeur may not have secured a WTA Finals place, but she will still be in Riyadh this week in the role of an ambassador.
This year was one of the toughest and most challenging of the Tunisian's career as she was only 15-15 before she decided to prematurely end her season following a Wimbledon first-round loss. When announcing the decision, the three-time Grand Slam champion said she needed some time to recover from her injuries, but also admitted that she "did not feel happy on the court for some time."
While the 2025 season certainly wasn't a memorable one for Jabeur, she is still by far the most accomplished Arab female tennis player. And she will be in Saudi Arabia for the second edition of the WTA Finals in Riyadh - just as she was last year, despite not competing.
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Hello everyone, Im very happy to be back in Riyadh for the WTA Finals. I hope the atmosphere will be incredible, and I cant wait to see the fans amazing energy," the former world No. 2 said in a video posted by the Riyadh organizers.
Jabeur was one of the leading voices to send the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia
When the first reports about the WTA Finals going to Saudi Arabia surfaced in 2023, the WTA authorities faced criticism and backlash for even thinking about sending one of their most prestigious tournaments to the Kingdom.
Jabeur, who finished as runner-up at Wimbledon that year, strongly defended the Saudis and pushed back against the narrative that it would not favor WTA stars.
As an Arab player, Im very excited to be there. Im someone pushing for a change, pushing to give more and more opportunities especially for women. I know in Saudi they're changing things and theyre evolving. I think its a great step. I think its something that could help the Arab world to have more tennis players, to get more involved in sports," the Tunisian said in one of her interviews from 2023.
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Jabeur got her wish fulfilled when Riyadh was officially named as the WTA Finals host city between 2024 and 2026.
