Double Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur will miss this month’s run of events in her native Middle East due to an unspecified medical procedure.
The Tunisian who has blazed a trail for Arab women on court announced the decision on social media several weeks after crashing out in the Australian Open second round.
“In order to take care of my health situation, my medical team has decided that I need to get a minor surgery in order to be able to be back on the courts and perform well,” the Wimbledon and US Open finalist last season posted on Instagram.
Without giving any detail, Jabeur added: “I will have to retire from Doha and Dubai and this is breaking my heart.
“I would like to say sorry to all the fans out there in the Middle East that waited for this reunion. I promise I will come back to you stronger and healthy.”
Jabeur went down in Melbourne last month to Marketa Vondrousova, walking off court at the first major of the season and kneeling in what appeared to be pain or frustration in the stadium entrance tunnel.
She had pulloud out of an Open run-up event the week before in Adelaide with what was described as a back injury.
