Tennis News: Ons Jabeur and Carlos Alcaraz

Why might wonder how much longer Ons Jabeur will keep playing professional tennis? I do not imply any menace in that previous sentence. The fact is that Jabeur has been a very good player for the last few years and as much as most of us wanted her to win a Grand Slam she simply could not get over the proverbial hump of doing so.

She is now 29 years old and that is getting a bit old for a tennis player, especially when the best in tennis are 25-year-old Aryna Sabalenka and 22-year-old Iga Swiatek. Plus, and most importantly, Jabeur seems to be dealing with a nagging knee injury. The ailment caused her to withdraw from the Dubai Championships this week.

Knee injuries, just like elbow or wrist problems, are crippling for tennis players. As part of a statement from the Dubai Championships, Jabeur said, "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...Looking forward to reconnect with all on the courts for the US swing."

Ons Jabeur is out and Carlos Alcaraz is now a maybe

That last part is likely very much in question. Jabeur probably does not know when she will be ready to return to play, or even when she does how long she will be able to continue playing. She might be healthy enough to play soon, but she does not know until she starts playing how healthy she is. For her sake and for tennis fans everywhere, let's hope she can return and stay healthy, but that seems doubtful at this point.

In happier news, the Cinch Championships (otherwise known as the Queen's Club) have confirmed that Carlos Alcaraz will return to play in 2024. Alcaraz won his first title in a grass court tournament at the Queen's Club in 2023 on his way to winning Wimbledon last year. The Cinch Championships are the preeminent grass court warm-up to Wimbledon.

The question is how bad Alcaraz's ankle injury that he suffered at the Rio Open is. He was forced to retire after just games in the first round, limped off the court, and then was carted away. I guess the positive is that at least he was able to walk on the ankle so maybe he will return sooner than later. Alcaraz posted on Instagram on Wednesday that he should only be out for a few days.

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