Tennis Star Ons Jabeur Champions Aid for Palestinians with WTA Finals Prize Donation
Tennis star Ons Jabeur, ranked 7th globally, compassionately pledges to donate a portion of her WTA Finals prize money to support Palestinians In an emotional speech, she emphasizes the importance of humanity
Ons Jabeur, ranked 7th in the world, announced her intention to donate a portion of her prize money from the WTA Finals to support Palestinians. This heartfelt declaration was made during a post-match interview in Cancun, Mexico, following her victory over Markéta Vondroušová with a score of 6-4 6-3.
"The state of the world fails to bring me any joy," Jabeur expressed amidst her struggle to hold back tears while addressing the audience.
"Bearing witness to the daily deaths of children and infants is an immense anguish. It shatters my heart, and thus, I have made the decision to contribute a portion of my prize money towards aiding the Palestinians."
Just humanity
"I cannot be happy with just this win, with whats happening. Im sorry guys, its supposed to be about tennis, but its very frustrating looking at videos every day," Jabeur added.
According to figures released on Thursday by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, a total of 9,025 individuals have lost their lives in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the initiation of Hamas terror attacks on October 7. Additionally, over 22,000 individuals have sustained injuries. Aid workers have reported that hospitals in Gaza are facing challenges in providing adequate medical treatment to severely injured patients due to the scarcity of medical supplies and the dire conditions.
Israel's airstrikes on Gaza come in response to the unexpected cross-border attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, resulting in the loss of over 1,400 lives and the capture of over 200 individuals.
Jabeur expressed, "This is not about politics; it is solely about humanity. My only wish is for peace to prevail in our world."
Besides Jabeur, other Arab athletes have also extended financial support to assist Palestinians. The Egyptian Red Crescent, a charitable organization involved in healthcare and humanitarian aid, recently verified that Mo Salah, the Egyptian forward for Liverpool, had contributed to their relief initiatives in Gaza.
In 2021, Jabeur achieved the groundbreaking feat of becoming the inaugural Arab woman to clinch a WTA title. Furthermore, in 2022, she shattered another record by becoming the first Arab or North African woman to advance to both the semifinals and finals of a grand slam tournament.
Jabeur says it's been hard watching videos of the conflict on social media.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
By winning her first group match at this years WTA Finals, Jabeur will receive at least $198,000 in prize money. Its unclear how much she intends to donate.
"It's a constant struggle for me to minimize my presence on social media," Jabeur expressed during a subsequent press conference. "Every day, I come across distressing videos and images that leave a lasting impact.
"These encounters disrupt my sleep and hinder my recovery, but the most overwhelming aspect is the feeling of helplessness. I find myself powerless, yearning for a magical solution that could bring an end to this turmoil and bestow peace upon everyone."
The win further enhanced the hopes of the 29-year-old in reaching the semifinals. Jabeur now needs to defeat four-time grand slam champion Iga ÅwiÄ tek in order to have any chance of progressing to the next round.
ÅwiÄ tek's victory against Coco Gauff on Wednesday has made group qualification uncertain, with each woman still having one more match to play.
