Ons Jabeur opens up about health scare and Wimbledon pain in new documentary

“My biggest strength? I think… I think smiling. I like to think that my smile is contagious,” ponders Ons Jabeur at the start of ‘This is me’, a Tod original documentary that chronicles her history-making journey in tennis.

It’s not just Jabeur’s smile that is contagious. When she cried on Wimbledon centre court last year after losing a second straight final there, most of the people watching around the world cried with her.

The Tunisian wears her heart on her sleeve, and has a natural ability of conveying raw and honest emotion both on the court and off it. She does just that throughout ‘This is me’, which drops on Tod.tv on Sunday, January 7.

In the 90-minute documentary, Jabeur opens up about her mental and physical struggles in tennis, and makes some stunning revelations, including a serious health scare she suffered at the Australian Open 12 months ago.

After losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the second round in Melbourne, Jabeur required medical assistance as she turned blue and struggled to breathe.

“I thought she’s gonna die,” said her coach Issam Jellali in the documentary.

Jabeur explained that an enlarged nodule was obstructing her airway, preventing oxygen from reaching her lungs.

She ended up undergoing surgery to reduce the size of the nodule and was sidelined for five weeks, missing the entire Middle East swing, where she was scheduled to play in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

“For once in my life I had to put myself in front of everyone, my health in front of everyone. That’s something I don’t think I’ve done a lot in my career,” said Jabeur.

This is Me ❤️Coming soon on Tod