Jabeur admits Wimbledon defeat still hurts

The Tunisian is hoping she can win her first slam title in New York, having reached the final last year and lost in two consecutive Wimbledon finals

Ons Jabeur Antoine Couvercelle/Panoramic

Simon Cambers

August 25, 2023

US Open •First round • completed

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O. JabeurvsC. Osorio

Time is meant to be a healer, they say, but for Ons Jabeur, the pain of missing out on a Wimbledon title for the second year in a row continues to burn.

The Tuniian reached the final for the second consecutive year last month only to lose out to Marketa Vondrousova as the Czech won her first slam.

The runner-up in New York last year, Jabeur has now lost all three of her slam finals but returns to New York hoping she can exorcise some demons.

These @Ons_Jabeur moments are priceless 🤗 pic.twitter.com/lQPcANJlQH

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 22, 2023

Jabeur explains her spartan summer

“I honestly wasn’t ready to play Montreal,” she told reporters at Flushing Meadows, discussing why she played just one event, Cincinnati, since Wimbledon.

“I wasn’t ready to come back soon on tour because I felt like I needed time for myself. They say time heals. I’m still waiting a bit. The Wimbledon loss still hurts.

“It’s much better than a month ago, for sure. 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,” she said.

Jabeur limped out of Cincinnati, beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in a quarter-final in which she was hampered by a right foot injury.

Despite the quick turnaround, the world No 5 says she’s in good shape as she prepares for the final Grand Slam event of the year.

I’m happy to be here. It’s a great honor to come back as a finalist. Let’s see, I mean, I’ve been practicing really well this week, really excited to play.

“Always trying to be 100 percent healthy,” she said. “It’s always tough. I’m doing everything possible to be ready. It’s looking great. So I’m just going to take it one step at a time and see how it goes.”