What Ons Jabeur's 'disconnect' from tennis will mean for Arab sport

Jabeur exited Wimbledon early on June 30 after a 14-minute medical timeout. AP

Many tennis fans, particularly in the Arab world, were heartbroken the opening day of Wimbledon, when Ons Jabeur, one of the sport’s top female athletes, was forced to retire early from her first-round match on Monday against Viktoriya Tomova. It was more than a step away from the court. The 30-year-old Tunisian, who initially paused the match for a medical timeout before exiting altogether, said that the moment is likely to be the start of a “disconnect” from tennis altogether, as she grapples with recovering from a tough season that was marred by injuries sustained last year.

The injuries have taken their toll. Three years ago, Jabeur was ranked world No 2, having reached two consecutive Wimbledon finals. She has since slid to No 59. But she remains the first Arab player, male or female, to ever break into tennis’s global top 10. As a Tunisian, moreover, Jabeur has inspired not just the Arab world, but the entire African continent, too.

In a sport known for its atmosphere of silence – “Quiet, please” is something of an unofficial slogan for Wimbledon – Jabeur stands out as an outspoken voice. Her accolades have also brought with them an obligation – in the eyes of her fans, the media and even Jabeur herself – to stand up against injustice, in politics and sport alike.

ExclusiveJabeur on Wimbledon, inequality and Gaza: 'People are forgetting'

Read More

Ahead of her Monday match, Jabeur, who is also a goodwill ambassador for the World Food Programme, told The National that she takes this responsibility seriously. “It’s true, it’s a burden, but it would be 10 times worse if I keep it inside,” she said.

The Gaza war, in particular, has been a source of anguish. Athletes have been under immense pressure to refrain from speaking out about the conflict and the suffering of Palestinian civilians, and Jabeur, especially, as an Arab athlete, has faced added scrutiny for her views on the subject. But she has not been deterred. She made a tearful plea for peace during an interview on the court at the WTA Finals in Cancun in November 2023 and has continued to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians ever since.

In a sport known for its atmosphere of silence, Jabeur is an outspoken voice

She has also been a strong advocate for women in sport. Last month, she made headlines taking the organisers of the French Open to task over their relegation of women’s matches away from prime-time broadcasting slots, presumably because women’s tennis is not as popular among audiences as the men’s game. But Jabeur’s argument, which is the correct one, is that the relative lack of attention for female athletes is not the symptom – it is part of the problem. She suffered considerable backlash and abuse as a result.

Jabeur’s reply, which she published on her social media channels, was powerful.

“A lot of amazing athletes have been told the same things over and over,” she wrote. “That no one watches, that no one cares. That women’s sport doesn’t ‘move people’.”

But the women’s game, Jabeur goes on to write, “has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly and, for far too long, without full recognition”.

Whatever the duration or extent of Jabeur’s “disconnect” from tennis, there is little doubt that she has been one of the authors of that legacy, pushing the boundaries for not just Arab and African athletes, or female athletes, but for the sport as a whole. Her many fans are wishing her well and hope to see her in top form, on the court or off it, soon.