In one of the few cafes open on this religious holiday of Eid, a group of young men seated in front of a screen which broadcasts the prestigious London tournament live, howls with joy at each ball won by their champion.

"It's our Tunisian national product with the means at hand," Safwen Ghairi, a 21-year-old student, told AFP.

His group of friends hurried to finish tasting the traditional méchoui to see the match.

In their eyes, the 27-year-old "represents the (African) continent and the region at Wimbledon" and that alone, "it's an achievement".

As his former coach Nabil Mlika told AFP just after the match, Jabeur "remains a national pride".

"She made mistakes in the second set but we wish her good luck for the US Open (August 29 - September 11), he added.

Hafedh Amrouni, 25, who works in the cafe, believes a victory "would have been a double celebration of Eid and victory, but in any case, it honored us".

Zaher Edine Dahman, 27, agrees: she is "our ambassador of happiness".

"We once dreamed that a Tunisian player could only qualify to play at Wimbledon and today Tunisia is in the final."

The café is a stone's throw from the Hammam Sousse tennis club where Jabeur hit his first balls.

At Wimbledon, she became the first representative from North Africa to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament.

In a brief comment at the end of the match, she said she was aware of her role: "I try to be an inspiration to many generations in my country, I hope you are listening “, she launched to the Tunisians.

"difficult moments"

In advance, she dedicated her career to her country: "I love seeing the joy I bring to Tunisians, especially given the difficult times they are going through".

The North African country has been plunged into a serious political crisis since President Kais Saied seized all power a year ago.

Very dependent on its energy and food imports, Tunisia is in the grip of economic difficulties which have been accentuated by the Covid and more recently by the war in Ukraine.

Netizens have commented on Jabeur's prowess, calling it the "New Constitution of the country", in a hint to the referendum on constitutional amendments strengthening the role of the president, scheduled for July 25.

On Friday, Tunisian Sports Minister Kamel Deguiche announced popular celebrations after Wimbledon and wanted to award Jabeur an official title of "Minister of Happiness": "it is the duty of the state towards her", he said. -he says.

The world N.2 was born in the city of Ksar Hillal (east) on August 28, 1994, in a family of four children of which she is the youngest.

In a column on the BBC website, she said she was inspired by her mother.

"She's a big tennis fan, she took me to her club when she was only three years old. She was playing with her friends and I was doing the commentary. I was spending all day at the tennis club and I loved it" .

Renewed interest of Tunisians

In his column, Ons regretted the absence of his parents and his sister, for lack of a visa for Great Britain, who reacted via his embassy in Tunis by promising to "examine what happened".

From the age of 12, the young prodigy joined a sports high school in Tunis and stood out in 2011 by winning the junior tournament at Roland Garros.

After a difficult transition to her professional career, she started to shine again only two years ago at the Australian Open, becoming the first Arab player to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament.

The 27-year-old's success has revived Tunisians' interest in tennis.

Since Jabeur started his rise in the professional rankings in 2018, the number of members at his Hammam Sousse club has doubled to 700 members.

© 2022 AFP