Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur’s most recent campaign at SW19 lasted less than half an hour, as she retired from her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova
Ons Jabeur has announced that she’s taking a break from tennis following her emotional exit from Wimbledon. Jabeur, 30, reached the final of the women’s singles at SW19 in both 2022 and 2023 but agonisingly lost both matches.
In this year’s Wimbledon, her first-round clash with Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova lasted just 26 minutes. Jabeur broke down in tears after losing a game and returned to her bench looking distressed.
The Tunisian buried her face in a towel and medical staff were summoned for a timeout. They looked at her blood pressure and vital signs before escorting her away from the intimate Court 14.
After taking quarter of an hour compose herself, Jabeur returned to the court but ultimately retired in the second set. At the time of her withdrawal, she was losing 6-7, 0-2.
Now Jabeur has announced that she’s taking time out of the sport to ‘rediscover the joy of simply living’. The 30-year-old said in a statement: “For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges.
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“But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now. Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.
“Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always. Even while I’m away from the court, I’ll continue to stay close and connected in different ways, and share this journey with you all. Ons.”
Jabeur is currently ranked No.71 in the world, having once held second spot. She gave no specific reason for her Wimbledon retirement, although did comment: “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good.
“I have been practising pretty well the last few days. These things happen. I’m pretty sad. It doesn’t really help me with my confidence.”
Jabeur also lost in the first round of the French Open in May and opened up on the strain that tennis has put her through. “Pushing through injury I’ve been doing, like, my whole life,” she said.
“We have a lot of guilt inside us saying we’re not doing enough or it’s not enough, the pressure from sponsors, the pressure from the ranking, the pressure of providing… some players provide for their families as well. It is a very tough sport.”
Jabeur lost to Elena Rybakina in the 2022 Wimbledon final before a shock defeat to world No.42 Marketa Vondrousova a year later which she described as the most painful loss of her career. She was also beaten by Iga Swiatek in the 2022 US Open final.
