When Tunisian superstar Ons Jabeur played in the Wimbledon final over the weekend, she became the first Arab and African woman to reach this stage of a Grand Slam in the modern era of tennis.
The World Number 2 might not have won the match but her journey to the high table of world tennis especially in recent months has inspired not just young girls and women playing tennis across the world but all Tunisians.
Among those is the Tunisian side competing at the ongoing TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco where the Carthage Eagles broke a 14-year old jinx to reach the quarterfinals of the continental tournament for the very first time since their debut in 2008.
Midfielder Trodi, who was born in Nefta – a small town in the south of Tunisia not so far from Sousse where Jabeur was born, told CAF Online in an exclusive interview that, “Ons is an inspiration to all of us. She was born in Tunisia and has made it to the world stage. She is African. I can relate to her success because like me, she started small playing in our little neighbourhoods and look at her now making waves worldwide.”
“She has made Tunisia proud. We want to be like her and do the same here at the WAFCON. It is a dream come true for me to play at this level and to represent my country Tunisia. This is my second WAFCON.”
Like Jabeur, Tunisia will be punching above their weight on Thursday when they take on the 2018 finalists and 2019 African representatives – South Africa who are three for three at the tournament and come into this tie as the favourites.
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However, Trodi who has started all of Tunisia’s three games at the WAFCON 2022 is confident that her and her teammates have what it takes to challenge the status quo and cause an upset.
“The winner of this game will qualify automatically for the World Cup. We are dreaming of this. To think that we are just one game away from playing against the best teams in the world is such a great motivation,” said Trodi.
The 33-year old, who plies her trade in the United Arab Emirates for Abou Dhabi Club, revealed that a lot has changed since she last played at the WAFCON in Tunisia’s debut in 2008.
“We have not been here in 14 years but I must say that the organization is much better and the level of competition has improved greatly. There are no easy teams here and because of this, we can dream about winning against South Africa on Thursday,” she said with a smile on her face.
Back in 2008, the two sides were pooled together in Group B with South Africa edging Tunisia 2-1 in a closely contested game.
Trodi and her new teammates will be seeking to avenge that loss when they lineup against the Banyana Banyana at the Moulay Hassan Stadium at 2100hrs local time on Thursday, July 13.
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