Ons Jabeur pulls out of Madrid Masters due to injury
Defending champion Ons Jabeur has pulled out of the Madrid Masters due to an injury. She sustained the injury in her semifinal defeat to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the Stuttgart semifinals last week.
In the last-four clash in Stuttgart on Saturday (April 22) against the World No. 1, Jabeur felt something in her left leg in the first game. She taped it following a medical timeout and continued for two more games before calling it quits.
"The third point, I don't know what happened," Jabeur said. "I was really excited to play Iga today, it's always a fun matchup between us. I wish her the best luck for the final. I'm sorry guys, I really tried to run, but Iga never makes it easy."
Two days later, the Tunisian provided an update on her condition. She revealed a small tear in her calf and that she would need time to recover while announcing her withdrawal from Madrid. She tweeted:
"Hello from Madrid, an update on my situation. Further to many medical exams done, it shows that I have a small tear in my calf, and I will need more time to recover. I am sad to announce that I won't be able to compete and defend my title this year at the Mutua Madrid Open. I would like to wish to everyone and the tournament a great event and looking forward to coming back next year."
Hello everyone, an update on my situation @MutuaMadridOpen https://t.co/Du04vH2uLU
Jabeur is 11-5 on the season following her loss to Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek wants to meet Ons Jabeur in Roland Garros final
Following her semifinal 'win' over Ons Jabeur, Iga Swiatek said in her post-match interview that she appreciated the fact that the Tunisian tried to play through injury.
Predicting Ons Jabeur to make a quick return to action, Swiatek expressed hope of facing the reigning Madrid champion in the Roland Garros final:
"I don't know what Ons' situation is, but I really respect the fact that she came out and she tried and she wanted to see how it's going to go. I told her we're probably going to play the Roland Garros final, so we'll see each other there. She's a fighter, so she's going to be back quick. I just hope it's nothing serious."
Meanwhile, Swiatek went on to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open final. She improved to 5-2 against the reigning Australian Open champion and 20-4 on the season. In the process, the Pole extended her perfect record in Stuttgart to eight matches as she won her 13th singles title.