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 considerations are an actual factor and claimed that taking part in 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 resulting from considerations that they had 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 match 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 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 steered that going from grass to clay after which from clay to laborious would have been a suicide for her troublesome knee. 

“Effectively, I did not play the Olympics due to the floor adjustments. Since I’ve, like, knee issues, truthfully it might be very robust resolution to take. It will most likely make me not have the ability to play for the remainder of the season. I am managing my knee a lot… Most likely individuals do not know what’s occurring on the within,” Jabeur mentioned.

Jabeur will get actual on how she feels about not taking part in the Olympics

Within the final couple of years, Jabeur wrote Tunisian tennis historical past and he or she is now by far essentially the most profitable tennis participant from her nation. And with that being mentioned, it was definitely very disappointing for the Tunisians but additionally 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 taking part in 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 robust resolution to not go to the Olympics. However very pleased to be right here. I have never performed loads of matches this yr. I mainly skipped the start of the yr. So yeah, I did not wish to make the identical type 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 want 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 laborious to clay, clay to grass, grass to laborious, it might add 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 match in Toronto is beginning on August sixth, the vast majority of the gamers mainly will not have any time to organize for laborious courts and Toronto. And reflecting on the schedule, the Tunisian former world No. 2 did not maintain again.

“You may 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 totally different accidents, and so they selected to not threat it due to that.

“You are taking part in clay, taking part in a giant occasion just like the Olympics, I believe 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 have the ability to keep so long as I can on this stunning tour.”

In the meantime, Jabeur is taking part in 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 taking part in in opposition to the winner of the match between Shelby Rogers and Robin Montgomery. In her a part of the draw, there’s top-seeded Sabalenka and so they may probably meet within the Washington semifinal.

Relating to 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 crushed by Iga Swiatek within the 2019 first spherical.