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Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur has exited the 2025 tournament on the opening day after retiring from her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria.
Jabeur was a set and a break behind in the match at the All England Club when she shook hands with her opponent.
The two players had exchanged breaks of serve in a frenetic opening, before Jabeur broke Tomova’s serve to get to 2-3 in a game that lasted 22 points. Despite earning the break, the Tunisian called a medical time out, and appeared emotional as she received treatment at the side of the court, including an inspection of her vital signs.
Jabeur forced a tiebreak to decide the first set after returning to the court, which she led 5-4, but Tomova took it 7-5 and two games later, the match was over.
The 30-year-old has yet to win a Grand Slam, but made two Wimbledon finals in consecutive years; 2022 and 2023. She won the opening set before losing to Elena Rybakina in 2022, before Markéta Vondroušová beat her in straight sets a year later. Jabeur described the latter defeat, her third loss in a Grand Slam final overall, as the most painful of her career.
She also reached the 2022 U.S. Open final, where she was beaten by Iga Świątek.
The former world No. 2 has struggled for form in the 2025 campaign, having been knocked out of the French Open in the first round; her deepest run in a tournament came in Doha, Qatar, where she reached the quarterfinals. Injuries have prevented Jabeur from playing her best tennis for some time: a shoulder injury ended her 2024 season early, while she strained a leg muscle at the Miami Open this spring.
Tomova moves on to face either Britain’s Sonay Kartal or No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women's Tennis
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
Jabeur was a set and a break behind in the match at the All England Club when she shook hands with her opponent.
The two players had exchanged breaks of serve in a frenetic opening, before Jabeur broke Tomova’s serve to get to 2-3 in a game that lasted 22 points. Despite earning the break, the Tunisian called a medical time out, and appeared emotional as she received treatment at the side of the court, including an inspection of her vital signs.
Jabeur forced a tiebreak to decide the first set after returning to the court, which she led 5-4, but Tomova took it 7-5 and two games later, the match was over.
The 30-year-old has yet to win a Grand Slam, but made two Wimbledon finals in consecutive years; 2022 and 2023. She won the opening set before losing to Elena Rybakina in 2022, before Markéta Vondroušová beat her in straight sets a year later. Jabeur described the latter defeat, her third loss in a Grand Slam final overall, as the most painful of her career.
She also reached the 2022 U.S. Open final, where she was beaten by Iga Świątek.
The former world No. 2 has struggled for form in the 2025 campaign, having been knocked out of the French Open in the first round; her deepest run in a tournament came in Doha, Qatar, where she reached the quarterfinals. Injuries have prevented Jabeur from playing her best tennis for some time: a shoulder injury ended her 2024 season early, while she strained a leg muscle at the Miami Open this spring.
Tomova moves on to face either Britain’s Sonay Kartal or No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women's Tennis
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
