Tennis star announces she's taking break from sport 'to rediscover joy of living'

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Former World No. 2 Ons Jabeur announced on Thursday she was going to “take a step back and finally put myself first”, after two difficult years on the circuit.

“For the last two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t felt really happy on the court for some time now,” the 30-year-old three-time Grand Slam finalist explained on social media.

“Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living,” added the Tunisian world number 71.

In June, Jabeur was forced to retire from the first round at Wimbledon, having already lost her opener a few weeks earlier at the French Open.

“I wasn’t expecting not to feel good. I have been practising pretty well the last few days,” said Jabeur, who did not specify the reason for her withdrawal.

“These things happen. I’m pretty sad. It doesn’t really help me with my confidence.”

After losing in Paris, Jabeur spoke of the strain the sport can exert on players.

“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.”

A highly popular player on the circuit with both fans and fellow players alike, Jabeur was runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023, as well at the US Open in 2022.