3 hours ago
10
Ons Jabeur is the toast of the tennis world after announcing that she is pregnant.
The two-time Wimbledon finalist has been congratulated by the great and good of the sport after revealing that she and husband Karim Kamoun will have a boy in April.
It means that the 31-year-old will be extending her break from the sport, but also gives her a ray of hope after she stepped back in July following a battle with depression.
Jabeur wrote on Instagram: 'Took a little break to reset and recharge... turns out, we’ve been planning the cutest comeback ever.
'The court will have to wait a little longer, because soon… we’ll be welcoming our tiniest teammate. Baby boy joining the team in April.'
Jabeur was congratulated by the likes of Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, and John Isner, who fans may remember for his record 11-hour, three-day clash with Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
Tennis star Ons Jabeur has announced that she is pregnant with a baby boy to arrive in April
The 31-year-old took a step back from the sport in July to 'rediscover the joy of living'
Tunisian hero Jabeur will be hoping she can go one better when she returns after losing at the 2022 and 2023 Wimbledon finals, as well as the US Open final in 2022.
In July, she took an indefinite step away from competing and her ranking has slipped to 79, having once been world No 2.
She has been a vocal critic of the demanding schedule and had to bow out at Wimbledon due to breathing difficulties.
Announcing that she was stepping back in July, Jabeur said: 'For the past two years, I've been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven't truly felt happy on the court for some time now.
'Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it's time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.
'Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always. Even while I'm away from the court, I'll continue to stay close and connected in different ways, and share this journey with you all. Ons.'
And she told Sky Sports last week: 'The schedule is killing everyone. I'm not the first one to stop playing. I feel like I saw [Beatriz] Haddad Maia stopping, [Elina] Svitolina as well. It's tough. I hope the tennis community will listen to us and lower some of the tournaments.
'I think it's more like tournaments piling up, for example, Doha, Dubai. It's my favourite and I want to play there, but two 1000 tournaments in a row? It's too much. And I feel like they want to add more. Also the two weeks, 1000 tournaments. I don't know whose idea it was. It's such a bad idea. None of the players like it.
Jabeur admitted she has suffered from depression and found the schedule too demanding
"I really suffered a lot, mentally more than physically. But my body was screaming for help for a long time. I haven't listened.
'I think I had a depression without even knowing that and people call me The Minister of Happiness. I wasn't Minister of Happiness anymore. I was very sad for a long time. I'm putting myself first. For me, that's a huge step.
'I'm coming back when I feel like it, when I feel happy again.
'I think it is time to speak up and to change this. I feel like they see us as robots, but not as human beings anymore on the court. Just play, play, play.
'You don't want to disappoint your team and then your sponsor. And then you look at the ranking, I'm losing points. What should I do? Should I play more? So for me, it's like all that I'm going to put away. Thankfully, everyone was really supportive from my side and even if they were not, I'm putting myself first, no matter what.'
