Ons Jabeur has taken to social media to speak about her tearful Wimbledon ordeal after she was forced to retire from her first-round match on Monday afternoon.
The two-time SW19 finalist was involved in worrying scenes on Court 14 against Viktoriya Tomova when she became unwell.
The 30-year-old took a medical time-out in the first set after 26 minutes of action.
Jabeur, who looked visibly distressed sat on her courtside seat, had her blood pressure taken and her vitals were checked before she was taken away off court for further examination.
Despite a valiant attempt to return to play, Jabeur eventually made the call to retire early in the second set.
And taking to Instagram to update her followers, the Tunisian posted on Tuesday morning with two love heart emojis: ‘Thank you to everyone supporting me. Your love means more than you know, especially in times like this. It’s been really tough lately… I just need time to heal.’
Ons Jabeur had her head in her hands as she received medical attention at Wimbledon
The two-time Wimbledon finalist had her confidence rocked and this retirement won’t help
She left the court very upset and chose not to speak to media following Monday’s retirement
She then added with heartbroken emoji and a silence emoji: ‘And to those who find joy in my pain. I truly hope you find the kindness you’re missing.’
Jabeur didn’t hold a press conference after her defeat but did release this statement on Monday following her withdrawal.
‘I wasn’t expecting not to feel good. I’ve been practising pretty well in the last few days but I guess these things happen.
‘I’m really sad. It doesn’t really help me with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do, even though it was a very tough season for me.
‘So I hope I’m going to feel better and we’ll see what’s going to happen.’
The delay to treat Jabeur lasted 14 minutes before she attempted valiantly to try and play on.
But early in the second set with the sun beaming down and delivering scorching hot temperatures, Jabeur elected to retire.
The Tunisian was down 7-6, 2-0 when she brought an early finish to the contest.
