Ons Jabeur had her temperature measured on-court before she was forced to retire through illness in her Berlin Open quarter-final clash with Coco Gauff, sparking fears over her participation at Wimbledon in less than two weeks.
The first set of their blockbuster in Germany was action-packed and was living up to the hype, but the Tunisian two-time Wimbledon finalist had to halt play and could not return for the second set after speaking with the on-site doctor.
Her American opponent had won a tiebreak at Steffi Graf Stadion, but Jabeur soon sensed that she was not feeling well and required medical attention before confirming that she would not be returning to the match.
Gauff wished her opponent well after advancing to the semi-finals via a walkover, expressing hope that Jabeur can recover in time to compete on the grass at SW19, where she will be hoping to go one step further after defeat in back-to-back finals.
“It doesn’t feel like a win,” Gauff admitted. “Especially because we had such a great first set. I wish Ons the best. I think it’s something that’s just gonna happen today and she’ll feel better tomorrow. I think she’ll be strong at Wimbledon.”
Wimbledon chiefs will be growing increasingly worried about the fitness levels of the women scheduled to compete in the summer Slam, with four of the top 10 players retiring through illness or injury this week in Berlin.
Kalinskaya led 4-1 in the first set when Sabalenka called a medical time out to receive some treatment on the issue. She attempted to play on but retired after one more game.
The world No. 24 advanced and she joins Gauff as beneficiaries of the many injuries and illnesses hitting the WTA Tour, with the American set to face either Jessica Pegula or Katerina Siniakova.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk