Ons Jabeur skipped over the Olympics due to concern that participating there could end her season, instead opting for the Citi Open, but her injury ultimately prevented her from playing at that event as well.
The Tunisian player has endured a challenging season where she played some really solid tennis at times, but mostly, it was overshadowed by continued injury problems.
She has dealt with a knee problem for a while, as it keeps flaring up every now and then, costing her playing and practice time. Tennis is a sport of continuity and the more time a player misses, the harder it is to get back to the level where they need to be if they want to be competitive.
The knee concerns are the main reason why Jabeur opted against playing at the Olympic Games. She's an immensely proud Tunisian and would never abandon a chance to represent her country if she didn't think that she could make matters worse for her.
Her following withdrawal from the 2024 Citi Open in Washington, if anything, proves that the physical issues are real and keep bugging her even her best attempts to manage them as best as she can.
She opted for the Citi Open instead of the Olympics and actually played at the WTA 500 event. When Jabeur teamed up with Paula Badosa in the doubles, everything looked fine as they scored a solid win together.
Badosa went on to compete in the singles and win, but Jabeur couldn't, as she withdrew from the tournament just ahead of her match with Robin Montgomery, who is a D.C. native.
After that, the Tunisian posted an update on social media regarding her status, surprising many people by admitting that the knee wasn't the reason why she withdrew.
That's the good news because the knee has been a problem for a long time. The bad news is that she recently picked up a shoulder injury that didn't allow her to compete. Per Jabeur, playing would have aggravated the injury, and she pulled out upon the doctors' advice.
"I am writing to inform you that, regrettably, I must withdraw from the Mubadala Citi DC Open due to a shoulder injury I have recently sustained. After consulting with my doctor, it has been determined that participating will aggravate my condition."
"I would like to say sorry to all the fans here in Washington and the tournament, I was looking forward to performing here and getting to share fantastic moments with the Fans. Looking forward to coming back here next year healthy."
It's tricky to say where Jabeur goes on from here becasue she didn't specify the extent of the injury or what her timeline might look like. Shoulder injuries can be tricky to heal, but we should see her back on the courts relatively soon, hopefully in time for the Cincinnati Open.
The US Open is not too far away, and missing it would be a major blow to Jabeur, so hopefully. It's clear that she's approaching it carefully.
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