Ons Jabeur withdraws from Doha, Dubai due to 'minor surgery'

DUBAI: The World No.3 Ons Jabeur has withdrawn from WTA tournaments, Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships later this month after opting to have minor surgery, the 28-year-old announced on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old will be unable to compete in this year's Middle East swing after she announced she will undergo a minor surgery.

"In order to take care of my health situation, my medical team have decided that I need to get a minor surgery in order to be able to be back on the courts and perform well," Jabeur wrote on social media.

"I will have to retire from Doha and Dubai and this is breaking my heart. I would like to say sorry to all the fans out there in the Middle East that waited for this reunion. I promise I will come back to you stronger and healthy," she added.

In Doha and Dubai, Jabeur, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has enthralled audiences as she has climbed the rankings over the previous few seasons. Before the first Jasmin Open in Monastir last year, the Middle East swing was the Tunisian's closest opportunity to compete in home tournaments. In Doha, Jabeur has made it to the quarterfinals twice (in 2020 and 2022), as well as once in Dubai (2022).

During this year's Australian Open, where she fell in the second round to Marketa Vondrousova, Jabeur spoke about the need to manage an ongoing knee injury.

"It's not a big injury, but sometimes it might bother me. I try to take it one day at a time. It's a great challenge, you know," she told press after her first-round defeat of Tamara Zidansek.