Ons Jabeur to 'disconnect from tennis' after first-round retirement at Wimbledon

Ons Jabeur's Wimbledon campaign is over in the first round after the two-time finalist was forced to retire from her match against Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.

Jabeur struggled from very early on against the world No 111, putting an ice towel around her neck during the first changeover and generally looking uncomfortable throughout a match played in sweltering conditions.

The Tunisian then called on a trainer at 3-2 down, burying her head in a towel while appearing to be in tears before having her blood pressure taken and then taking an off-court medical timeout.

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Jabeur resumed the match after a 14-minute delay but ended up losing the first set on a tiebreak before calling it a day after going 2-0 down in the second.

"I wasn’t expecting not to feel good," said Jabeur. "I’ve been practising pretty well the last few days but I guess these things happen. I’m really sad.

"It doesn’t really help me with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do, even though it was a very tough season for me. So I hope I’m going to feel better and we’ll see what’s going to happen.

"[I will] definitely try to disconnect a little bit from tennis and try to just enjoy life outside tennis, recover and spend a little bit of time with the family and hopefully that could recharge me. Definitely ‘rest’ is the word for it."

It is the latest blow for the former world No 2 who has dropped down to 59 in the rankings after an injury-ravaged last 12 months.

At the Australian Open earlier this year, a tearful Jabeur suffered breathing difficulties due to asthma during her opening round win over Camila Osorio.

“It was very tough to play,” Jabeur said after the match at Melbourne. “I had to not play long rallies. I was playing Camila. Not the best opponent when you're in this condition but I apologised at the end of the match, because I really don't want to behave like this on the court.

“I don't want to be greedy just after coming back from an injury,” she added. “Sometimes I get angry because I feel like I'm getting back there, but every time something happens.”

A month later, Jabeur played down injury concerns after needing medical assistance during her surprise first-round defeat against Peyton Stearns at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Jabeur had arrived in Dubai on the back of quarter-final runs in both Abu Dhabi and Doha but was beaten 7-6, 6-4 by the American.

“It was pretty tough today,” admitted Jabeur after the match. “I wasn't 100 per cent, obviously. It’s nothing really serious … I just wasn't feeling 100 per cent physically.

“I feel I've been tired; I haven't been sleeping as well as I was hoping to be sleeping. It was difficult to really recover from Abu Dhabi, Doha, and now to come here.”

Speaking to The National ahead of the London Grand Slam, the 30-year-old admitted it had been a tough year so far.

“The ability of believing in myself that I can come back like before, it's been a bit low and that really affected me,” said Jabeur, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023.

“So yeah, it’s just about a lot of believing in myself more than ever because coming back at a certain level, it's never easy. So I hope I can overcome that.

“Right now, I need to trust more my body. I need to hopefully get better on the court and find my movements.”

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Key findings of Jenkins report

Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Biography

Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related

Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.

Family: Wife and three children.

Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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