Sport
Touched to a knee during the Australian Open, Ons Jabeur returned to victory this Saturday for his entry into the running in the WTA tournament in Indian Wells. However, the world number 4 said that this recovery was a real gamble.
Ons Jabeur needed a round to find the rhythm. Absent on the WTA circuit since her elimination in the second round of the Australian Open due to a knee injury that required surgery, the Tunisian returned to competition this Saturday in Indian Wells with a success in three sets against in Magdalena Frech. Facing the press, World No. 4 says ‘it’s probably too early to come back’ but makes it ‘a new challenge’. While her entourage did not seem in agreement with Ons Jabeur’s desire to participate in the North American tour, the finalist of the last Wimbledon and US Open followed her instinct. “It was a difficult decision to make, and it was me who insisted on returning to Indian Wells and then to Miamishe said to the press in remarks collected by theAFP. I regretted this choice after the first set. But then I said to myself that we had to take up this challenge, that I had to accept what was happening, that I had to fight. »
Welcome back, @Ons_Jabeur 👋
The No. 4 seed finishes strong in her 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Frech.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/C5TFuQ6AWR
— wta (@WTA) March 12, 2023
Sport Jabeur: “I obviously need more time”
To justify this decision, Ons Jabeur highlighted the fact that she is a “competitor” and that it is “difficult for her to go a long time without playing”. Added to this is the urgent need to stay as high as possible in the world hierarchy. “I didn’t want to be too off the table. I have already missed two WTA 500s and a WTA 1000, she recalled. Indian Wells and Miami approaching, I said to myself: ‘OK, I will prepare and we will see what will happen’. I also told myself that if physically I’m not ready, then I can test my mind. “While she wanted to keep the exact nature of her injury to herself, assuring that she will confide in this subject” when the time is right”, Ons Jabeur assures that “the knee is better” and that it is “ at 80%”. I obviously need more time, she added. But at least the pain is not there. In the third round in Indian Wells, the Tunisian will find Marketa Vondrousova, who had eliminated her in Melbourne. “I know how much she likes to play hard, so it will be another challenge for me for sure,” she said of the Czech.
