Ons Jabeur has been doing her best to enjoy her time off the court after a shoulder injury ended her season early.
Jabeur plans to return for the Australian Open, having played just once since her third round exit at Wimbledon.
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur entered the Canadian Open after Wimbledon, but suffered a round of 64 loss to Naomi Osaka.
Osaka named Jabeur the nicest player on tour, but unfortunately the latter has been absent for a large chunk of the current season.
The Tunisian withdrew from the Cincinnati Open and US Open before deciding to end her season for good due to the shoulder issue.
Ons Jabeur makes offer to Neymar at the WTA Finals
This week she is in Riyadh for the WTA Finals, with Jabeur taking in the action from the eight top players on tour.
In Saudi Arabia, she bumped into football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, with Jabeur sharing her experience with Sky Sports Tennis.
“I couldn’t believe, he’s really an inspiration to me,” she said of Ronaldo. “As an athlete, his dedication to the sport is unbelievable. He was very focused doing his routine, it was unbelievable and an honour to meet him.
“Neymar was different, I had to talk to him, he loves tennis and he watches it. I asked him if he wants to play tennis but he said he’s not very good so maybe we’ll do a mixed double with the other Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, he loves tennis.”
How did three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur do in 2024?
Jabeur reached as high as second in the WTA rankings back in 2022, but the Tunisian has now slipped to 41st.
That is, of course, no surprise for the five-time tour-level champion, who has been limited to just 30 matches this season.
Jabeur ended her 2024 with a 16/14 win-loss record, failing to win any titles throughout her injury-hit season.
She will now be preparing for a much better showing next time out, although getting back to full fitness will perhaps be her main priority.
The 30-year-old is yet to win a Grand Slam title, but has lost three major finals; twice at Wimbledon and once at the US Open.
Both Ronaldo and Neymar currently play in the Saudi Pro League, with the latter having been involved in coin tosses at the WTA Finals this week.
