Meet Ons Jabeur, the top-5 tennis star known as the 'Minister of Happiness' on tour

The 5-foot-6, 29-year-old is ranked fifth in the world among women's tennis players. She made her way into the top-50 between 2019 and 2020, and has consistently found herself among the world's top-10 players in the years since.

Jabeur has won four singles titles over the course of her 13-year professional tennis career, all of which have come in the last three years: the 2021 Birmingham Classic, the 2022 Madrid Open, the 2022 German Open, and the 2023 Charleston Open. She's earned more than $11 million in prize money in that same span.

A favorite among fans and her fellow competitors alike, Jabeur is known as one of the kindest players in all of tennis. More often than not, she's seen with a smile plastered across her face, and she has a great sense of humor. Most of her peers on tour consider her a friend.

Jabeur is gracious in wins and losses alike, regularly encouraging those she defeats and applauding those who take her down. And in her home country, which finds itself in the throes of an economic and refugee crisis, Jabeur is seen as a beacon of hope and strength. 

Jabeur is the highest-ranked Arab and African tennis player among men and women alike. She's adored in Tunisia, where she was born and raised, and is widely credited for helping grow the popularity of her sport across the entire continent of Africa.

The former world No. 2 has twice become the first-ever Arab and African player to reach a Grand Slam final — first at Wimbledon in 2022 and, a few months later, at the US Open.

Jabeur is something of a magician on the court. Unlike many of her peers who rely on power and speed to beat their opponents, Jabeur primarily uses her dexterity to outmaneuver foes.

She's a master of angles with a variety of shots in her arsenal; slices and drop shots regularly mystify the players standing across the net from her.

Jabeur has advanced to a whopping three Grand Slam finals in the last two seasons. But in all three instances — Wimbledon 2022, the 2022 US Open, and Wimbledon 2023 — she's fallen short under the bright lights.

Jabeur was the higher-ranked player in each of her losses in the Wimbledon final — first against Elena Rybakina and, a year later, against Markéta Vondroušová.

Even after the devastation of that second Wimbledon defeat, Jabeur expressed optimism that she'll eventually break through and hoist a Grand Slam trophy during her tearful on-court speech.

"It's gonna be a tough day today for me, but I'm not gonna give up," Jabeur said to raucous applause. "I'm gonna come back stronger and win a Grand Slam one day."

She's hopeful she'll make that dream run at the 2023 US Open. Just last season, she advanced to the final in Flushing Meadows before falling to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Jabeur has said she believes she's grown into a stronger, more complete player in the year since. And according to IBM's AI Draw Analysis, she's one of the top contenders to win it all at the final Slam of the season.