Jabeur bids farewell to the tennis world

On July 17, Tunisian tennis star Jabeur announced her temporary departure from the tennis court. In her statement, the most heart-wrenching part was not the descriptions of her injuries, but rather the line, "I haven't truly felt joy on the court for quite some time." In the ruthless arena of professional sports, where achievements define heroes, Jabeur's plight reveals a long-ignored truth: even the brightest smiles can mask deep-seated fatigue and struggle within the soul.

Jabeur's career can be seen as a battle history of Arab women breaking through. She is not only the first Tunisian to reach a Grand Slam final but also a pride for the entire African continent. In the conservative Middle East and North Africa, her image of wielding a racket in a sports skirt is a silent revolution in itself. Since her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2022, Jabeur has carved out a technical pathway among the power players in the WTA with her unique slicing technique and varied shot selection. Her smile has become her trademark, whether celebrating a victory or showing grace in defeat; that genuine joy has touched audiences worldwide. However, it is precisely this vast gap between her public image and inner experience that constitutes the cruel paradox of professional sports.

The shadow of injuries has always accompanied this technical master throughout her career. The 2024-2025 season became the last straw, with a shoulder injury forcing her to withdraw from the 2024 US Open, a withdrawal in Miami in 2025, and a tearful exit from Wimbledon due to a foot injury, all of which were heartbreaking scenes. Her world ranking plummeted from a peak of second place to 71st, a dramatic decline that signals the constant warnings from her body. Professional tennis players hit the ball over a million times each year, with each stroke causing minor trauma to their joints. Although Jabeur's signature slicing technique is aesthetically pleasing, it places significant strain on her shoulder and knee joints. When these minor traumas accumulate to a critical point, they become irreversible injuries. The exploitation of athletes' bodies in modern professional sports has reached an appalling level; athletes are no longer just competing with their opponents but are engaged in a doomed war against the limits of their own bodies.

Even more challenging to heal than physical injuries are the psychological scars left by three near misses at Grand Slam titles. Losing to Rybakina in the 2022 Wimbledon final, falling to Swiatek at the 2022 US Open, and especially the shocking defeat to Vondrousova in the 2023 Wimbledon final, labeled by the media as the most regrettable match, have all taken their toll. Each time, Jabeur accepted defeat with a smile, but the suppressed disappointment and pain did not vanish; instead, they transformed into an invisible psychological burden. Professional athletes are often expected to be superhuman, able to transcend ordinary emotional experiences. When Jabeur candidly admits to losing joy, she is, in fact, challenging the deeply rooted myth in professional sports culture: that victory is everything. This honesty requires tremendous courage, as it can be misinterpreted as weakness or a lack of competitiveness. However, it is this human expression that reveals the real person behind the facade of sports stars.

At 30, Jabeur faces a structural dilemma in the professional tennis world. The average retirement age for female tennis players is 27, and those over 30 must exert exponentially more effort to maintain peak performance. The current WTA has entered an era of powerful women, with average serve speeds increasing by 15% compared to a decade ago and baseline hitting power rising by 20%. In such an environment, the space for technical players is increasingly constrained. The success stories of male veterans like Djokovic and Federer are difficult to replicate in women's tennis due to more pronounced physiological limitations for female athletes. Jabeur's predicament is not an isolated case; it reflects the helplessness of a generation of technical players in the face of the rise of power-based play. As tennis increasingly relies on raw power rather than tactical intelligence, we lose not only a number of outstanding players but also the diversity and beauty of the sport itself.

Jabeur's decision to prioritize herself marks her return from being an athlete to a complete individual. In the alienating mechanisms of professional sports, athletes are often reduced to mere competition machines or brand ambassadors, with their personal needs systematically overlooked. Jabeur's choice to step back is, in reality, a rebellion against this alienation. She is no longer willing to sacrifice her physical and mental health to meet external expectations. This awakening is still rare and precious in the realm of professional sports. The unanimous support from peers like Sabalenka and Badosa for Jabeur's break indicates that a new generation of athletes is beginning to rethink the definition of success; it should not be measured solely by the number of trophies but should also include the quality of one's career and personal happiness.

Jabeur's temporary departure leaves the tennis world with an unresolved question: what kind of sports stars do we truly need? Are they warriors who pursue victory at all costs, or are they authentic individuals who can find a balance between competition and life? Her story reminds us that the allure of sports lies not only in the moments of victory but also in the complexity and authenticity that athletes as complete individuals exhibit. If Jabeur ultimately chooses to return, we hope to see a truly happy version of her; if this temporary farewell becomes a permanent departure, then the legacy she leaves behind will not only be those memorable moments but also a courage to prioritize oneself. In this sense, Jabeur's smile is no longer a mask to hide pain but becomes a symbol of hope for the humanization of professional sports.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Mei )