Ons Jabeur thanks John McEnroe for praising her 2R winning performance at French Open

Ons Jabeur expressed her gratitude towards John McEnroe for his generous praise of her match-winning performance in the second round of the 2023 French Open.

Jabeur defeated France's Oceane Dodin 6-2, 6-3 in the second round at Roland Garros. The match took place on Court Philippe-Chatrier and lasted for one hour and 11 minutes.

The Tunisian managed to hit 25 winners and break Dodin's serve five times throughout the contest. Although Dodin managed to break Ons Jabeur's serve and even the score at 2-2 in the second set, she ultimately lost the last three games of the match.

Following the match, while speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe lauded Jabeur and declared her as his favorite player. He commended her adept use of drop shots, which she employs frequently to unsettle her opponents.

"Well you know that’s why I loved Jabeur because you know I didn’t blow it too many players off the court myself. She uses the drop shot more. But Jabeur uses it pretty frequently and rather effectively," McEnroe said.

"So I’m sure it gets under the skin of her opponents but obviously on the court ‘cause it’s so dry and slippery that’s a great place. So Jabeur, let’s hope she’s 100% healthy because she’s fun to watch. She’s one of my favourite players," he further added.

Eurosport shared the video of John McEnroe praising Jabeur on their social media pages. In response, the former World No. 2 re-shared the video and expressed her gratitude towards McEnroe, referring to him as "a legend".

"Thank you John, you’re a legend 🙏🏼 ," Ons Jabeur tweeted.

"I hope I can continue playing even better for the next matches" - Ons Jabeur

During the post-match press conference, Ons Jabeur gave her thoughts on the match. She expressed her satisfaction with her performance despite the challenging conditions and expressed her desire to elevate her game even further in the upcoming matches.

"I think it was a great match for me. I managed with the conditions, with the wind, and with someone that hits very hard," Jabeur said. "I hope I can continue playing even better for the next matches."

The Tunisian also pointed out Oceane Dodin's tendency to take risky shots, which often led to errors, something which she capitalized on.

"She hits very flat, and her game is very risky, so you can expect a lot of winners and a lot of mistakes. I think the key for me today was to make her make more mistakes than me and manage to get away the ball from her and not get her in her comfort zone," she added.

Ons Jabeur will next face Olga Danilovic in the third round of the French Open on Saturday, June 3.