Ons Jabeur issued a fairly prolonged clarification for her choice to skip the Paris Olympics as she highlighted that floor change issues are an actual factor and claimed that enjoying in Paris may have put the remainder of her season in jeopardy contemplating her knee points.
After Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka determined to tug out of the Olympics on account of issues they’d about rapidly going from grass to clay, Jabeur introduced the identical information simply a few hours after the Belarusian tennis star.
However now, all three – Jabeur, Sabalenka and Raducanu – are competing at a hard-court WTA 500 event in Washington.
Chatting with the press in Washington, three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur began by mentioning that she has been bothered by a knee problem for fairly a while and it is one thing that may be managed however not totally healed. And after making that clear, the 29-year-old Tunisian just about instructed that going from grass to clay after which from clay to onerous would have been a suicide for her troublesome knee.
“Properly, I did not play the Olympics due to the floor modifications. Since I’ve, like, knee issues, actually it might be very powerful choice to take. It could most likely make me not be capable to play for the remainder of the season. I am managing my knee a lot… Most likely folks do not know what’s taking place on the within,” Jabeur mentioned.
Jabeur will get actual on how she feels about not enjoying the Olympics
Within the final couple of years, Jabeur wrote Tunisian tennis historical past and she or he is now by far essentially the most profitable tennis participant from her nation. And with that being mentioned, it was actually very disappointing for the Tunisians but in addition for her not to have the ability to play on the Olympics.
However whereas Jabeur is disenchanted to have missed the Olympics, she underlines that she had to have a look at the larger image as a result of enjoying in Paris would have most likely include penalties.
In 2021, Jabeur performed at the Tokyo Olympics however did not make it too far again then after surprisingly shedding within the first spherical to Carla Suarez Navarro.
“Yeah, it was most likely very powerful choice to not go to the Olympics. However very completely happy to be right here. I have never performed a number of matches this 12 months. I principally skipped the start of the 12 months. So yeah, I did not need to make the identical form of errors and go and never be 100%. If I did not really feel like going there and win the medal, why go within the first place?” Jabeur mentioned.
“I imply, with my damage, I feel I would like extra time to prepare for the clay. I imply, normally, simply altering the surfaces, it is harder to go from grass to clay. Since I already modified from onerous to clay, clay to grass, grass to onerous, it might add yet one more floor to me.”
Jabeur rips the schedule
For the reason that tennis occasion began on the Paris Olympics began on Saturday and a WTA 1000 event in Toronto is beginning on August sixth, nearly all of the gamers principally will not have any time to arrange for onerous courts and Toronto. And reflecting on the schedule, the Tunisian former world No. 2 did not maintain again.
“You’ll be able to see the timing between the Olympics and Toronto is absolutely, actually tight. Actually, I do not really feel just like the schedule of this 12 months normally fits any skilled tennis gamers,” Jabeur added.
“I do not see I’m the one one which took this choice. I do know there are such a lot of gamers that had totally different accidents, and so they selected to not danger it due to that.
“You are enjoying clay, enjoying a giant occasion just like the Olympics, I feel it’s good to be prepared and carry out at your greatest. I am not very younger any extra, so I attempt to win as a lot time as I can and be capable to keep so long as I can on this stunning tour.”
In the meantime, Jabeur is enjoying within the singles and ladies’s doubles occasions in Washington.
In singles, Jabeur has a first-round bye and she’s going to begin her marketing campaign by enjoying towards the winner of the match between Shelby Rogers and Robin Montgomery. In her a part of the draw, there may be top-seeded Sabalenka and so they may probably meet within the Washington semifinal.
On the subject of doubles, Jabeur performs there with Paula Badosa and they’re scheduled to face Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya of their opener.
Previously, Jabeur solely performed as soon as in Washington as she was overwhelmed by Iga Swiatek within the 2019 first spherical.