Ons Jabeur makes stunning claim on what could have happened had she played Olympics

Ons Jabeur issued a fairly prolonged rationalization for her resolution to skip the Paris Olympics as she highlighted that floor change issues are an actual factor and claimed that enjoying in Paris might have put the remainder of her season in jeopardy contemplating her knee points. 

After Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka determined to drag out of the Olympics as a consequence of issues they’d about shortly going from grass to clay, Jabeur introduced the identical information simply a few hours after the Belarusian tennis star. 

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However now, all three – Jabeur, Sabalenka and Raducanu – are competing at a hard-court WTA 500 event in Washington.

Talking to the press in Washington, three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur began by mentioning that she has been bothered by a knee challenge 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 urged that going from grass to clay after which from clay to exhausting would have been a suicide for her troublesome knee. 

“Properly, I did not play the Olympics due to the floor adjustments. Since I’ve, like, knee issues, truthfully it could be very powerful resolution to take. It might most likely make me not have the ability to play for the remainder of the season. I am managing my knee a lot… In all probability 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 he or she is now by far probably 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 disillusioned to have missed the Olympics, she underlines that she had to take 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 dropping within the first spherical to Carla Suarez Navarro.

“Yeah, it was most likely very powerful resolution to not go to the Olympics. However very glad to be right here. I have never performed numerous matches this yr. I principally skipped the start of the yr. So yeah, I did not wish 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 harm, I believe I would like extra time to prepare for the clay. I imply, basically, simply altering the surfaces, it is more durable to go from grass to clay. Since I already modified from exhausting to clay, clay to grass, grass to exhausting, it could add yet another 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 exhausting 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 actually, actually tight. Truthfully, I do not really feel just like the schedule of this yr basically fits any skilled tennis gamers,” Jabeur added.

“I do not see I’m the one one which took this resolution. I do know there are such a lot of gamers that had completely different accidents, they usually selected to not danger it due to that.

“You are enjoying clay, enjoying a giant occasion just like the Olympics, I believe it’s good to be prepared and carry out at your finest. I am not very younger any extra, so I attempt to win as a lot time as I can and have the ability to keep so long as I can on this stunning tour.”

In the meantime, Jabeur is enjoying within the singles and girls’s doubles occasions in Washington.

In singles, Jabeur has a first-round bye and she is 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 they usually might probably meet within the Washington semifinal.

With regards to doubles, Jabeur performs there with Paula Badosa and they’re scheduled to face Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya of their opener.

Prior to now, Jabeur solely performed as soon as in Washington as she was overwhelmed by Iga Swiatek within the 2019 first spherical.