Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur saw her 2025 campaign come to a heartbreaking halt on the tournament’s opening day, retiring from her first-round match against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova after just 85 minutes of play.
Jabeur, once world number two and a fan favourite at the All England Club, was trailing by a set and a break when she walked to the net and shook hands with Tomova, bringing an abrupt end to a dramatic and physically taxing contest.
Match report
The match began at a frenetic pace on Court 14, with both players trading early breaks of serve. At 2–3 down, Jabeur fought through a marathon 22-point game to break back, showing flashes of her trademark finesse and grit. However, the effort took its toll.
Moments later, she called for a medical timeout and received treatment on the side of the court, including a check of her vital signs. The 30-year-old Tunisian appeared visibly emotional as medical staff attended to her.
Despite the interruption, Jabeur returned to push the first set into a tiebreak and led 5-4, but Tomova rallied to take it 7-5. Two games into the second set, with Tomova up a break at 2-0, Jabeur retired from the match.
Ons Jabeur retires from her match against Viktoriya Tomova at Wimbledon.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 30, 2025
Awful to see this.
A 2-time Wimbledon finalist who’s had some of her most emotional times on a tennis court at this event.
She just can’t get her body healthy.
Hopefully better times are coming. 🇹🇳❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/He3xN9BmLY
The sweltering 34°C conditions added to the challenge. The All England Club had already implemented its heat policy as players contended with fierce sunshine on Day 1.
Jabeur, who suffers from asthma and has previously struggled in extreme conditions, including a similar episode at the 2025 Australian Open, looked visibly distressed throughout.
Her early exit marks a significant loss for the women’s draw. Jabeur reached back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2022 and 2023, but both ended in heartbreak.
She lost the 2022 final in three sets to Elena Rybakina, and she was beaten in straight sets by Markéta Vondrousova a year later, a defeat she later called the most painful of her career. She also fell short in the 2022 US Open final against Iga Swiatek.
Injuries have hampered Jabeur’s 2025 season. She exited the French Open in the first round and hasn’t advanced beyond the quarterfinals in any event this year. Her most promising run came in Doha, where she reached the last eight. A lingering shoulder injury ended her 2024 season early, and she later sustained a leg strain during the Miami Open this spring.
With Jabeur out, Viktoriya Tomova now advances to face Britain’s Sonay Kartal, who delivered a surprise victory over No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko.
For Jabeur, the defeat is not just an early exit; it’s another cruel chapter in an already emotional Wimbledon legacy. Whether this signals the closing stages of her Grand Slam ambitions or a pause before resurgence remains to be seen. Yet for now, the grass at SW19 loses one of its most graceful and resilient competitors.
Sean Killen is a contributing journalist for both DartsNews.com and Tennisuptodate.com, where he balances his university studies with writing news updates, player features, and match reports across both sports.
Before joining the sites, Sean built experience across student and professional media. He serves as TV News Director for Cardiff University TV (CUTV), has reported for Gair Rhydd and The Cardiff Times, and produced viral news coverage that gained international attention. His reporting spans sports, breaking news, and human-interest features, and he’s worked across platforms including print, online, radio, and video.
Sean has followed the ATP and WTA tennis tours closely for years, with a growing interest in darts through the Premier League and World Championship circuits. He brings a sharp eye for storytelling, a commitment to accuracy, and a passion for making niche sports accessible to wider audiences.
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