Ons Jabeur's tough admission after breaking down in tears amid worrying scenes

Ons Jabeur has revealed she broke down in tears during her straight sets loss at the Abu Dhabi Open as she still struggles with a reoccurring knee injury. Jabeur left the tennis world in shock last week when she wiped away tears in the second set during her loss to Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia on Friday.

The followed a tough start to the year after teenage sensation Mirrra Andreeva easily defeated Jabeur in the Australian Open second round. Fans were left speculating about Jabeur after the tough scenes as both Haddad Maia and the crowd rallied around the Tunisian.

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And the World No.6 has admitted she was fighting through the pain of a knee injury during the loss, but didn't want to give up in front of the fans. “I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, unfortunately, my knee still bothers me a bit," she said after the match. “Today wasn’t to be my day. I was trying to fight and get through this match but when you play against someone who plays amazing like Beatriz, it’s tough to compete.

"I tried my best and tried to stay focused and play my game but unfortunately, I couldn’t. I’m a bit sad because I was starting to feel my game and feel good, and these injuries don’t help. The priority now is to find the solution to try and keep up and hopefully I can do it.”

Jabeur endured a rollercoaster 2023 season with injuries and setbacks. She underwent a minor knee surgery after the 2023 Australian Open, which saw her in pain and distraught after defeat.

And the Tunisian has admitted she is still struggling with the knee injury as she battles through the pain. “We go way back with the knee; some tournaments it’s good, some tournaments it’s bad," she said after the match.

"I’ve been feeling it for the past week but today was the worst day. Usually during practice, I try to manage but during matches, it’s a bit tougher." Jabeur said she would get a professional opinion on her knee before determining her next move. Jabeur was expected to take part in Doha.

Ons Jabeur in heartfelt family admission

Jabeur endured the highs and lows across the last few seasons having admitted she put so much pressure on herself to win the Wimbledon final in 2022 having been determined to try for a child if she was successful. Jabeur came so close to lifting her maiden grand slam title in 2022 when she fell to Marketa Vondrousova in the final.

And in a documentary on her career called 'This is me', ahead of the Australian Open, Jabeur made the tough admission she was planning on having a baby with her husband after the tournament if she was to come away with her career goal to lift a grand slam.

Unfortunately, Jabeur said the plan to have a baby with her husband was also then put on hold due to the heartbreaking loss. "People think I have this pressure because I want to do it for other people, which is not true," she said on the Tod documentary.

"There was a personal thing going on there. I win that Wimbledon final, I could have a baby right away. And that dream faded. I was haunted by fear. After all I'm just a human being, what can I do more?

"It was the toughest loss of my career because emotionally it destroyed me, not only winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby just vanished with the trophy of Wimbledon."

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