Tunisia's Jabeur announces break from tennis to ‘rediscover the joy of living’

Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday.

Tunisia’s Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year.

The two-time Wimbledon finalist’s campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout.

The former world number two suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open.

Jabeur, often called the ‘minister of happiness’ for her cheerful personality, said she was not feeling truly happy on the court.

“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” she said in a statement.

“Tennis is such 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, married to former fencer Karim Kamoun, has also been open about her wish to start a family.

“Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always,” she added.

Sabalenka, Badosa pull out of Montreal event: World number one Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the WTA Canadian Open tournament in Montreal due to fatigue, Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old from Belarus, runner-up at the Australian and French Opens, comes off semi-final runs at Wimbledon and Berlin and titles at Madrid and Miami.

“I’m looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing, but to give myself the best chance for success this season, I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to skip Montreal,” Sabalenka said.

Missing the July 27-Aug. 7 event leaves the reigning US Open champion only one major tuneup, at Cincinnati in August, before she tries to defend her crown on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.

“I’ll miss my amazing Canadian fans, but I’m already looking forward to seeing you all next year,” Sabalenka said. “Thanks for your understanding and support — it means the world to me.”

Sabalenka was upset in the Wimbledon semi-finals by American Amanda Anisimova.

“We’re obviously disappointed that Aryna won’t be with us this year,” tournament director Valerie Tetreault said.

World number 10 Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from the event due to injury. The two departures opened spots in the main draw for American Caty McNally and Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard announced on Wednesday that she will retire from professional tennis after the WTA event in Montreal, her hometown.

Agencies