Jun 4, 2024; Paris, France; Ons Jabeur of Tunisia reacts to a point during her match against Coco Gauff of the United States on day 10 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros.

tennis

Ons Jabeur Announces Shocking Break From Tennis With an Emotional Message for Fans

Jabeur is a three-time finalist at the majors.

Jun 4, 2024; Paris, France; Ons Jabeur of Tunisia reacts to a point during her match against Coco Gauff of the United States on day 10 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros.

Former World No. 2 Ons Jabeur has made an unexpected decision to take a break from tennis, as she announced on social media on Thursday. The Tunisian, who is a three-time Grand Slam finalist, has been struggling with form and fitness in the recent past. She most recently exited the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in Round-1, before withdrawing from the WTA-1000 in Montreal, Canada.

Jabeur is a two-time Wimbledon runner-up – losing in 2022 and 2023 to Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova respectively. One of the most respected and adored players on the circuit, she sparked initial concerns upon being the only player in the Top-99 not to be on the entry list for next month’s US Open.

The 30-year-old is no stranger to injury concerns over the years. She had to end her 2024 campaign due to a shoulder injury, before a leg muscle strain forced her out of the Miami Open this year. At SW19, Jabeur was trailing 6-7(5) 0-2 against Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria when she started feeling uncomfortable. An asthma patient, her fitness concerns forced her out of the competition in tears.

Ons Jabeur Provides Tear-Jerker Update for Fans – ‘Time to Take a Step Back’

Thank you for your support 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/AiffrjDzU0
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) July 17, 2025

One of the most eye-catching players on tour, Jabeur has failed to pick up a trophy in 2025. As a result, the Arab icon dropped to No. 71 in the world – as of July 2025. After her confirmed absence from Montreal and Flushing Meadows, her immediate future was a blur. And now, she has confirmed a temporary break from the WTA circuit with an emotional message for her fans.

“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges,” revealed Jabeur. “But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now.” Across 14 tournaments this year, the Tunisian has failed to get past the quarterfinal stage at any of them.

She continued, “Tennis is 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.” Jabeur proceeded to thank her fans for their love and understanding, before vowing to stay connected with them. The tennis world can only pray for her well-being, and hope that a true champion like Ons Jabeur returns to her best at the earliest.

(Image Credits: Susan Mullane, Imagn Images)

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Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.