A severe asthma episode almost hindered former World #2 Ons Jabeur’s comeback at the Australian Open on Thursday, as the Tunisian struggled to breathe and nearly contemplated quitting during her second-round win.
The 30-year-old, who has reached three Grand Slam finals, is striving to regain her previous ranking after a shoulder injury last year posed a threat to her career.
However, she mentioned that asthma is now becoming a concern for her.
Jabeur required a medical timeout during her match against Colombia’s Camila Osorio to receive treatment and use her inhaler, eventually securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
“Very, very tough to breathe. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma,” she said, adding that she may not have continued if she had lost the first set.
“It is very tough to play. I had to kind of not play long rallies.
“Not the best opponent when you are in this condition, but I apologized at the end of the match because I really don’t want to behave like this on the court,” adding that she doesn’t usually talk about her asthma problem.
“We will have to manage, you know, like we always do,” she said.
“I think I will have to find a way to feel better the next two days, which I am hoping to do because this started kind of two days or three days ago. I feel like it got worse for some reason.
“I’m really just taking it one minute at a time and see how it’s going to go, but definitely I’m doing everything that I can to be ready.”
Next, Ons Jabeur faces a challenging third-round matchup against #8 seed Emma Navarro, who rallied to overcome China’s Wang Xiyu in three sets on Thursday.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
