Ons Jabeur won’t be returning to action next week as she has withdrawn from the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Abu Dhabi update
OUT: Jabeur
IN: Ka. Pliskova
NEXT: Teichmann — Entry List Updates Women (@EntryListsWomen) January 31, 2023
Jabeur, ranked at No 3 in the world, was expected to be among the star names competing at a WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi.
Unfortunately, Jabeur doesn’t seem ready to return to action after what happened at the Australian Open. At the Australian Open, Jabeur won her first-round match before losing to Marketa Vondrousova in her following match.
Jabeur, who arrived in Melbourne carrying a knee injury, also experienced difficulties breathing during the Vondrousova match. “I had a difficult time breathing. Not sure what’s happening. Marketa played a good match and deserved to win.
I will do my best to come back stronger,” Jabeur said in a written message to the media after her defeat.
Jabeur competed in Abu Dhabi two years ago
In 2021, Abu Dhabi staged a WTA event. Back then, Jabeur reached the round-of-16 before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
However, that wasn’t the only time that Jabeur played in Abu Dhabi as the Tunisian has also played multiple times at the Abu Dhabi exhibition in December. Last year, Abu Dhabi didn’t host a WTA tournament. But this February, Abu Dhabi is returning on the WTA calendar and again hosting a WTA event.
This year’s Abu Dhabi event is set to feature some of the biggest names of the game as Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Caroline Garcia, Cori Gauff and Jessica Pegula are expected to play at the tournament. Jabeur was also expected to be among the high-profile names competing in Abu Dhabi but she was forced to pull out of the tournament.
“Despite the health issues, I will keep fighting and come back stronger and stronger. Time to recover and get healthier. Thank you All for your support. Thank you Australia. See you soon,” Jabeur wrote on Twitter after her Australian Open exit.
