The Wimbledon Loss Still Hurts

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday August 25, 2023

Ons Jabeur has had her share of struggles in 2023, dealing with injuries and then, just as her fortunes turned and her form was peaking, suffering a devastating loss to Marketa Vondrousova in the Wimbledon final.

But the Tunisian is taking care of herself this summer, and used extra time to refresh herself mentally after Wimbledon.

She skipped the National Bank Open in Montreal, not because she didn’t feel well, but because she wanted to decompress and get her mind right.

“I honestly wasn’t ready to play Montreal,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to come back soon on tour because I felt like I needed time for myself.”

Jabeur admitted that her loss at Wimbledon was tough to deal with.

“They say time heals. I’m still waiting a bit. The Wimbledon loss still hurts,” she confessed.

Jabeur is pleased that she took some time to rest her body and heal her heart.

“It’s much better than a month ago, for sure,” she said. “I think I’m 28 years old now, I’ve learned from the mistakes of playing, playing, playing tournaments all the time. I think I was really proud of myself to just take a step back, enjoy time with my family, and get ready for the next tournaments.”

The Tunisian, who is seeded fifth at the US Open, will open her US Open with a showdown with Colombia’s Camila Osorio.

She has played once on the hard courts this summer, reaching the quarterfinals at Australia before falling to Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-3.

Last year’s runner-up owns a 13-7 record at the US Open but had never been beyond the third round in six previous appearances at Flushing Meadows.