Two-time Wimbledon finalist announces break from tennis in emotional statement

Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur has announced that she is taking a break from tennis as she hasn't "truly felt happy on the court for some time." The 30-year-old retired in tears at SW19 a fortnight ago as her difficult 2025 season continued, leaving the turf to hand Viktoriya Tomova a walkover.

She took a medical time-out in the fifth game and had her blood pressure taken, while wearing an ice pack around her neck, before being taken off the court to receive treatment. She returned 14 minutes later and tried to play on, but ended up conceding the match when down 7-6(5) 2-0.

Jabeur made the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023, but went down on both occasions to Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova. She also reached the 2022 US Open final but is still painfully in search of a first Grand Slam title.

She has fallen down the rankings ever since, battling a series of injury and health problems, and is making the brave decision to put down the racket indefinitely in order to prioritise her wellbeing.

Taking to Instagram, the Tunisian star wrote: "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.

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"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.

"Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always. Even while I'm away from the court, I'll continue to stay close and connected in different ways, and share this journey with you all. Ons."

Speaking in a press conference the day of her emotional Wimbledon exit, Jabeur did state that she was planning to momentarily step away from the sport.

"I wasn't expecting not to feel good," she explained. "I've been practising pretty well the last few days but I guess these things happen. I'm really sad. It doesn't really help me with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do, even though it was a very tough season for me. So I hope I'm going to feel better and we'll see what's going to happen.

"[I will] definitely try to disconnect a little bit from tennis and try to just enjoy life outside tennis, recover and spend a little bit of time with the family and hopefully that could recharge me. Definitely 'rest' is the word for it."