Ons Jabeur has been forced to drop out of the Dubai Duty Free Championships after failing to recover from a knee problem.
The world No 6 had admitted on Sunday that she was struggling to be fit for the next tournament in the Middle East swing. And 24 hours later tournament organisers announced that the 29-year-old was not going to be able to play.
Jabeur, who was due to make her ninth appearance at the WTA 1000 tournament this week, has been struggling with fitness issues since the start of the calendar year.
“Regrettably Ons Jabeur has had to pull out of this year’s tournament,” said tournament organisers in a statement. “We know how much this event means to her, playing in front of a strong Arab support. We wish her all the best in her recovery from injury and look forward to seeing her back in Dubai very soon.”
The Tunisian was knocked out in Round 2 of the Australian Open by Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open to Beatriz Haddad Maia and then in her opening match of the Qatar Open against Lesia Tsurenko.
Following the defeat against Haddad Maia, Jabeur looked visibly upset after clearly being hampered on court by the injury.
“Dear friends and family, I wanted to share with you all that my knee is not holding, it’s been unbearable to play with the pain and not being able to give my best on the court is frustrating,” Jabeur said in an official statement.
“After consultation of my doctors and team we have decided that I will have to withdraw from Dubai this week and go for more medical treatments.
“Looking forward to reconnect with all on the courts for the US swing. Thank you for your continuous support. Love you, Ons.”
It will clearly be a blow for Jabeur who was forced to miss the tournaments in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai last year after she underwent surgery on an enlarged nodule that was obstructing her airways.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist had been given a bye in the opening round and was due to face a qualifier in Round 2.
“I think it's the worst decision you can take because my heart wants to play and my body is not allowing so much,” Jabuer said on Saturday before the decision to withdraw had been made.
“I feel like I need to take the right decision and sometimes you have to take decisions where your heart is not agreeing with it. But all I know is that I'm doing my best to be ready for this tournament and be ready to play here and compete in front of amazing fans.”
Defending Dubai champion Barbora Krejcikova had already pulled out due to a back injury while four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka also said that she will not be competing at the tournament.
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MWTC info
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2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
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• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
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Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
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Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
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