Ons Jabeur compares Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff: Who's the most intimidating to face?

Ons Jabeur chooses her ‘most intimidating rival’ on the WTA Tour, comparing Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. The 3-time Grand Slam finalist has been pushed out of the headlines due to inconsistent results over the past year, while the top-3 trio has solidified their positions as the leading contenders in every major tournament.

The former world No. 2 knows what it’s like to face each of them, and with 30 years of experience on the Tour, she shared her thoughts on why she considers them the toughest opponents.

Jabeur recently joined Sam Querrey and John Isner on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast and explained that, over the years, she has become more accustomed to adjusting to the different playing styles of her opponents. However, she mentioned that world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was one of the hardest to face.

“I used to hate playing against Aryna (Sabalenka), because the way she hits the ball, I basically could not see it, and I get frustrated by the speed of the ball,” Ons Jabeur said. “But people would tell you ‘oh, you have the touch,’ I think speed definitely beats the touch because, if I cannot find it, I cannot do it, so one of the players I didn’t like to play is Aryna,” she added.

Querrey, however, asked if there was a player she considered the most "intimidating" to face. “There are a lot. I think Iga (Swiatek) is a pretty solid player,” Jabeur claimed. “She does not give you any free points, which is kind of difficult to play against.”

“Coco (Gauff) is really amazing too, she plays unbelievable tennis. There are a lot of solid players where you have to be, if not 100%, very close to it to play on that day.”

Jabeur earned a couple of wins at the Australian Open against Anhelina Kalinina and Camila Osorio, both in straight sets, before facing Emma Navarro in the third round. Despite being a break up in the third set, the American mounted a comeback and sent Jabeur out with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory. The former No. 2 will return to the courts this week at the WTA Abu Dhabi Open, where she will debut against Jelena Ostapenko (7th seed).