Ons Jabeur on learning to be patient, dealing with injuries and WTA Finals hopes

After a long injury-plagued season that was one of the toughest of her career, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur is looking to finish 2023 on a high with a positive showing at the prestigious WTA Finals in Cancun.

Physical problems hampered Jabeur throughout most of the year, limiting her ability to train consistently and compete at a high level, week in, week out.

The 29-year-old made her WTA Finals debut 12 months ago on the back of a stellar 2022 campaign that saw her rise to a career-high No 2 in the world.

A maiden WTA 1000 title triumph in Madrid, along with two Grand Slam finals reached at Wimbledon and the US Open, saw Jabeur make history for Tunisia, Africa and the Arab world, and she cemented her place amongst the game’s elite by qualifying as the No 2 seed for the season finale that features the top eight players in the world.

This year has been a different story. Health issues and numerous injuries – including knee, calf, back, ankle and wrist according to her coach Issam Jellali – have sidelined her on multiple occasions during the season and she punched her ticket to the WTA Finals just three weeks before tournament kick-off, ranked No 6 in the Race to Cancun.

Despite her problems, she still managed to pick up a WTA 500 title in Charleston, and a WTA 250 trophy in Ningbo, while also reaching the Wimbledon final – third at a Grand Slam – and the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

“Honestly it means a lot to qualify for the WTA Finals again,” said Jabeur, who begins her campaign in Cancun against US Open champion Coco Gauff on Monday.

“I’m just happy because this season it was unexpected that I qualified. It was a little bit stressful at the end but I don’t think it was as stressful as the year that I didn’t