‘Warrior’ Ons Jabeur admits she is still battling illness

US Open

James Richardson
September 1, 2023

At the US Open, Ons Jabeur overcame sickness to defeat Linda Noskova and continue her bid to end her Grand Slam heartache.

Jabeur, who lost in the Flushing Meadows final last year, defeated rising talent Noskova 7-6(7) 4-6 6-3.

The fifth seed beat the 18-year-old in little over two hours after coming back from a break down in the third set.

“This is a very special tournament and I think I’m going to use ‘warrior’ as a symbol for this tournament to continue to the end,” Jabeur said on court after the match.

In New York, Jabeur is attempting to win her first major championship and get over the agony of losing the Wimbledon final in July, which was her third Grand Slam final defeat.

She clarified, however, in the press conference that following her victories against Camila Osorio and Noskova at Flushing Meadows that she had not been at her peak physical level due to severe illness.

“I’ve been sick since I think Thursday. I’m taking a lot of medicine. I’m doing everything I can with my team trying to recover,” Jabeur said.

“Honestly, they have amazing doctors here, so they’ve been helping me. Every day I’m there. Basically took every medication they have.

“We try to manage what my health is right now. I’m glad it was two matches, two tests for me. I was trying to push myself to see what I can do, getting out of the comfort zone kind of.

“Hopefully will continue in a better shape and feel better for the next match.”

Jabeur previously admitted that she felt she needed a break after Wimbledon and hasn’t had the ideal preparation for the US Open.

“I honestly wasn’t ready to play Montreal. I wasn’t ready to come back soon on tour because I felt like I needed time for myself,” Jabeur said before the start of the tournament.

“They say time heals. I’m still waiting a bit. The Wimbledon loss still hurts (smiling).

“It’s much better than a month ago, for sure. Yeah, just 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.”

Jabeur is set to face No 31 seed Marie Bouzková in the US Open third round.

Ons Jabeur