Ons Jabeur announcement leaves tennis fans crushed in sad new blow

World No.4 Ons Jabeur has been forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open, leaving tennis fans concerned about her prospects for the upcoming French Open. The 28-year-old lasted just three games against the top ranked Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open semi-final in Germany before withdrawing from the match.

After a stunning 2022 season in which she came agonisingly short of her first grand slam victory several times, Jabeur has struggled to remain healthy in 2023. Her withdrawal from the Madrid Open follows that of top men's counterparts Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

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Jabeur is sure to take a hit in the world rankings due to her withdrawal, having won in Madrid last year. She'd been recovering from surgery earlier this year, since going on a seven-match winning streak before withdrawing against Swiatek.

In a message to fans, Jabeur said after 'many medical exams', a small tear in her calf was discovered, requiring her to rest up in order to compete at the French Open. Jabeir has roughly a month to recover before play gets underway at Roland Garros.

"I will need more time to recover," the Tunisian said, adding: "I am sad to announce that I won't be able to compete and defend my title this year at the Madrid Open. I would like to wish everyone and the tournament a great event."

Injuries affect multiple stars ahead of French Open

Injuries are having an undeniable impact on the lead-up to the French Open, with fans saddened by Nadal's reveal that his recovery from a hip injury at the Australian Open has not proceeded as planned. He missed Masters 1000 events at Monte Carlo and Barcelona earlier in April, while also announcing last week that he won't be able to play in Madrid.

Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge said he held fears for Nadal's long-term ability to compete following the announcement. He said the prospect of Nadal missing the French Open, where he has won a record 14 titles.

"I am starting to feel we're not going to see him at Roland Garros. Not going to defend his title which would be enormous if that happened," Woodbridge said on Channel 9 on Sunday.

"There is one tournament left for him to play, that is Rome, to get some matches. If he doesn't get to Rome and get tennis under his belt, I cannot imagine that he would put that record on the line of how fantastic he's been at winning Roland Garros by going there and losing early."

Nadal boasts an extraordinary win-loss record at Roland Garros of 112-3, and has played every French Open since his title-winning debut in 2005. The defending champion has won five of the last six French Opens and 14 overall, making it practically unthinkable that he could miss the clay-court grand slam.

Meanwhile, the tennis world was shocked once more when Djokovic was ruled out as well soon afterwards, following two shock losses in Bosnia and Monte Carlo beforehand. Ahead of his latest tournament, Djokovic addressed a persistent elbow injury that has been causing him pain.

"My elbow is not in an ideal shape but good enough to be ready for the first match," Djokovic told reporters ahead of the tournament. "One of the good things in tennis is that you get new opportunity to prove your worth every week and take a step forward. I've turned over a new leaf."

Djokovic struggled in the tournament before he was eliminated and it appears the injury is serious enough to worry the 22-time grand slam champion as he has withdrawn from the Madrid Open.

"Novak Djokovic is unable to compete at the Madrid Open," the tournament wrote. "Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you back on court as soon as possible."

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