Ons Jabeur will play in her first Wimbledon final on Saturday and the Tunisian predicted it all along. Jabeur has become the first Arab player to ever reach a Grand Slam final and will face Elena Rybakina as she bids to win her maiden major title. The 27-year-old was seeded third for this year’s competition and many expected her to challenge for the title. Yet, judging by a viral clip that has started to circulate on Twitter, it seems the African star has known she’d be in contention for a long time. 

Jabeur predicts Wimbledon run 

The WTA shared a clip of Jabeur from back in January, where she is asked to make “one prediction” for herself in 2022. 

Without hesitation, Jabeur responded: “I’m gonna win Wimbledon,” before adding: “Bold, huh”! 

Understandably, Jabeur’s fans are loving the video. 

One wrote: “Oh, she manifested it.” 

Similarly, another stressed: “Manifestation at its finest...one match to go.”

A third said: “She won our hearts! Wimbledon has to be next!” 

Jabeur’s incredible rise 

After nearly a decade of playing mainly ITF tournaments, Jabeur started to consolidate herself on the WTA Tour in 2017. 

Four years later, she won her first WTA title at the Birmingham Classic – becoming the first Arab player to ever win a WTA event. 

This year, she added to her trophy cabinet by winning in Madrid and at the German Open. 

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ROME, ITALY - MAY 15: Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a forehand against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Women's Single's Final on Day 8 of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia at Foro Italico on May 15, 2022 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

These performances also saw her rapidly climb the rankings and as of now, she is second in the world, behind only Iga Swiatek. 

Her remarkable rise has made her a hero in Africa and millions of fans will watch her attempt to create more history on Saturday. 

Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Hichem Riani, the CEO of African Tennis, said: "All of us in African tennis are very excited to see the results of Ons Jabeur.

"Ons is actually a social phenomenon in Tunisia. Everybody's talking about her and she has a lot of confidence now.

"We all belong to one continent, and we are excited because it's amazing to see her on this stage. Africa is the future of tennis, of sports, of everything."

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a forehand against Tatjana Maria of Germany during their Women's Singles Semi-Final match on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Jabeur or Rybakina? 

This will be the first time in Open-era history that two first-time Grand Slam finalists will meet at Wimbledon.  

As the third seed, Jabeur is the favourite on paper, but Rybakina thrashed former champion Simona Halep in the semi-finals. 

It feels as though it’s all to play for ahead of Saturday’s final, with both players equally capable of claiming their first Grand Slam title. 

Yet, if Jabeur’s prediction is anything to go by, it will be her who lifts the trophy on Centre Court.