World number two Ons Jabeur has signed to Naomi Osaka‘s sports management company Evolve, in partnership with Adel Aref, a former international tennis empire with vast professional experience in the industry sports, media and entertainment.
In May 2022, the four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka made a bold move to leave IMG and start her own agency alongside agent Stuart Duguid. Jabeur has now joined their roster of athletes, which besides Osaka also includes Australian ATP player Nick Kyrgios.
Announcing the partnership, two-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur wrote on Twitter:
New year, new beginnings with Adel Aref and Evolve.
Speaking with the WTA Insider in Adelaide, the Tunisian commented:
Some people just read that I was signing with Evolve, but they didn’t read the other part, that I’m signing with my friend and Tunisian, Adel, who knows me for a long time. It’s nice to sign with someone who knows my culture.
Agent Stuart Duguid welcomed Jabeur to Evolve with the following words:
As an Arab woman from Africa, she is a trailblazer and a truly captivating tennis player. Her influence extends beyond sports and into wider culture, and her impact on the Middle East and beyond is transformative.
The former world number one Osaka shared a mini-story on Twitter, where she recalled first meeting Jabeur in 2015 and how her first impression was “wow, she’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.” Then Osaka, who has struggled with shyness, explained how Jabeur always approached her and cracked jokes that made her feel more comfortable, and added:
This type of kindness is something that I’ll never forget and I think moments like that are what define your character.
