Iga Swiatek is proven right with her complaint as Ons Jabeur confirms she’s taking time off tennis

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As she continues to struggle with injuries, Ons Jabeur has taken to social media to announce her plans for the future.

Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur will now take a ‘step back’ from tennis as she looks to heal her injuries and recover from a draining period in her career.

Jabeur retired from her first-round match at Wimbledon last time out, in what could be her last appearance on the WTA Tour for quite some time.

The Tunisian star was once ranked as high as number two in the world, but now sits outside the WTA top 70 and hasn’t won a title since September 2023.

Burned out and in need of a break, Jabeur’s decision has proven one of her biggest rivals right, having been widely criticized for her comments in 2024.

Iga Swiatek’s schedule complaints are proven right as Ons Jabeur takes tennis hiatus

During the 2024 Cincinnati Open, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek had some choice words to say about the WTA schedule.

“I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well,” she said.

“It makes tennis less fun for us. I love playing in all these places, but it’s pretty exhausting, most of the WTA players would tell you that.

“We deserve to rest a little bit more.”

The Pole was criticized for her comments, as former world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov said all Swiatek does is complain.

“Is someone pushing you to play?” he asked.

“All you fricking do is complain. I’ll tell you what you deserve. You deserve to get paid a lot less than you do now. How about that?”

As it turns out, Swiatek was right to complain, as one of the biggest names in the women’s game chooses to take a break from tennis.

If the tour wasn’t quite so packed with events, perhaps Jabeur wouldn’t have had to fight through as many injuries as she has.

Maybe now, with someone as high-profile as Jabeur taking a break from tennis, the powers that be will finally take note.

Wherever you land on the schedule debate, it’s hard to deny that the calendar is becoming unsustainable.

How much tennis has Ons Jabeur played in 2025?

Missing the last few months of her 2024 campaign with an injury, Jabeur returned to action at the Brisbane International in December 2024.

Over the next six months, Jabeur played 14 tournaments and 30 matches across four different continents.

Despite losing early in several tournaments, Jabeur had a full month off between matches on just one occasion this year, as the Tunisian ‘rested’ for 34 days between the Miami Open and Madrid Open.

Making quick turnarounds all year long, between different surfaces, on different continents, it’s truly no surprise that Jabeur felt the need to step away from tennis.

Some may question why Jabeur doesn’t simply play a lighter schedule, but unfortunately for the 30-year-old, the WTA rules make that option impossible.

All WTA 1000 events are considered mandatory, and players who choose not to attend them are given ranking penalties.

To be successful on the WTA Tour, it is a requirement for players to compete at as many events as possible, regardless of whether they are fit to do so.

Only time will tell if the tour organizers make a change to the schedule to prevent other players from burning out, but it will certainly be something to look out for in the future.