Arguably one of the greatest female players to never win a Wimbledon singles title, Ons Jabeur, has suffered heartbreak at the first hurdle on day one of the 2025 event.
Jabeur was taking on Bulgarian player Viktoriya Tomova, with the fans flocking to Court 14 to take a look at the player who has lost in two finals at the All England Club.
It proved a tough watch for those who had gone to support her, however, with the Tunisian player withdrawing from Wimbledon after losing the first set 7-6 and trailing 2-0 in the second.
Naturally, fans have been sceptical over the decision to retire, with Jabeur receiving treatment on the court in the first set with the 30-year-old seemingly struggling with the heat and having her blood pressure checked.
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Ons Jabeur reacts after withdrawing from Wimbledon
It’s a really cruel way to go out by being forced to retire early in the second set, with every player always itching to do well at the Grand Slams and especially Wimbledon.
Jabeur wasn’t able to attend her press conference but did post an update on social media shortly after her defeat in a message to her supporters.
She said: “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good. I’ve been practising pretty well the last few days, but I guess these things happen. I’m really sad. It doesn’t help me with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do, even though it was a very tough season for me. So I hope I’m going to feel better, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.
“Definitely try to disconnect a little bit from tennis and just try to enjoy life outside tennis, recover and spend a little bit of time with the family, and hopefully that could recharge. Definitely ‘rest’ is the word for me.”
Jabeur running out of time to win Grand Slam title
The player who turned professional in 2010 has been in three major finals, with the 2022 US Open final coming alongside two finals at Wimbledon.
However, despite being the world number two back in 2022, Jabeur has never got over the line and it now feels as though it’s ambitious to expect that she ever will.
Jabeur is currently ranked as the world number 59, and that means tougher draws in the early rounds of Grand Slam tournaments until she improves on that number.
Jabeur needs to rest and recover, ready for the hard-court season and needs a tournament sooner rather than later where she proves she can still compete at the business end of competitions.
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