Ons Jabeur ends 2024 season early, aims for 2025 return in Australia
09/17/2024 07:01 AM
World No. 22 Ons Jabeur has been forced to cut her 2024 tennis season short due to a persistent shoulder injury. The Tunisian star announced she will not participate in any further tournaments this year, as she focuses on recovery.
Jabeur, who played only one match during the summer hard-court swing—a 6-3 6-1 first-round loss to Naomi Osaka in Toronto—shared the news on her Instagram stories:
Due to my ongoing shoulder injury, my team and I have made the difficult decision to step off the tennis circuit for the rest of the season.
The shoulder issue, which led Jabeur to withdraw from both Washington and Cincinnati, also forced her to miss the US Open, marking a difficult stretch in her 2024 campaign. However, this injury is only the latest in a series of health struggles she’s faced this year. A right knee problem, for which she underwent surgery last year, caused her to withdraw from the WTA 1000 event in Dubai earlier this season. Additionally, she retired from her quarterfinal match against Coco Gauff at the grass-court tournament in Berlin due to illness. As a result, the former world No.2 dropped out of the Top 10 rankings in July.
Despite her absence from competition, Jabeur is determined to make a positive impact off the court. In her statement, she emphasized her commitment to philanthropy during her recovery:
While I’m taking time to heal, I’ll be dedicating myself to charity work and ensuring that we make a real difference in the world.
