Ons Jabeur, former world No. 2, announces break from tennis: 'I haven't truly felt happy on the court'
Jabeur announced her break on Instagram, saying she hasn't been happy on the court the past two years. Her full statement read:
"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.
"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."
After reaching No. 2 status in June of 2022, Jabeur finished out the year strong and performed well again in 2023. She was a quarterfinalist at the French Open that year and made it to the Wimbledon finals, where she lost to Markéta Vondroušová.
Since then, though, Jabeur has had a tough time at Grand Slams. She made it to the quarterfinals at the French Open again in 2024, but failed to progress past the third round at any other Grand Slam event in both 2024 and 2025.
Thanks to those early exits, Jabeur saw her ranking plummet to No. 71 prior to Thursday's announcement.
At 30, Jabeur still has plenty of time to return to the sport and play at a high level. Plenty of tennis players have stepped away from the game and come back stronger. Amanda Anisimova stepped away from the sport for mental-health reasons in 2023 and reached the Wimbledon final less than two years later.
It's unclear how long Jabeur will remain away from the sport. Given her age and ability, it wouldn't be a shock to see her turn in a few more impressive Grand Slam runs before she truly calls it a career.
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