Ons Jabeur withdraws from Dubai Championships with knee injury - 'Unbearable to play with the pain'
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ByOli Gent
Published 18/02/2024 at 22:10 GMT
Ons Jabeur has been forced to withdraw from the Dubai Championships for a second time in two years with a knee injury. The world No. 6, whose best finish at the tournament was in the third round in 2021, has announced that a niggle to her right knee will put her out of action for the Middle Eastern swing, but she hopes to be back in action for the American hard courts that precede the clay season.
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Ons Jabeur has been forced to withdraw from the Dubai Championships for a second successive time with a knee injury.
The Tunisian, who was seeded sixth in the Middle East, had been given a bye in the first round of the draw, and would have faced the winner of the all-qualifier encounter between Storm Hunter and Anna Kalinskaya.
Instead, Jabeur, who has been struggling with her fitness since the turn of the year, will be replaced by Spanish lucky loser Cristina Bucsa, the world No. 67.
Jabeur has been in poor form in 2024, winning just two matches - against Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round of the Australian Open, and against Emma Raducanu in the opening stage of the Abu Dhabi Open at the beginning of February.
However, she has crashed out in the second round of every event she has participated in this season, losing to Beatriz Haddad Maia in Abu Dhabi, and Lesia Tsurenko in Qatar.
Most prominently, she was shocked at the second hurdle in Melbourne by teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva.
Now, the beaten 2023 Wimbledon finalist will be back on the treatment table as her start to the year worsens.
In an official statement on the tournament website, Jabeur said: “Dear friends and family, I wanted to share with you all that my knee is not holding, it’s been unbearable to play with the pain and not being able to give my best on the court is frustrating.
“After consultation of my doctors and team we have decided that I will have to withdraw from Dubai this week and go for more medical treatments. Looking forward to reconnect with all on the courts for the US swing. Thank you for your continuous support. Love you, Ons.”
Last year, Jabeur was forced to pull out of the entire Middle Eastern swing - Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Dubai - with injury, and the same has happened here.
The Dubai Open organising committee also released an official statement.
It read: “Regrettably Ons Jabeur has had to pull out of this year’s tournament. We know how much this event means to her, playing in front of a strong Arab support.
“We wish her all the best in her recovery from injury and look forward to seeing her back in Dubai very soon.”
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It will be a race against time for Jabeur, the world No. 6, to be fit again for the spring-time American hard court swing that precedes the clay court season.
The Tunisian does not have a good record on the American acrylic, having only reached the semi-finals once in the swing, at Indian Wells in 2021.
She reached three quarter-finals in the Canadian Open and in Cincinnati, and the last eight in Doha in 2020 and 2022.
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