Miami Masters: Ons Jabeur ready to bounce back

Ons Jabeur was not at her best at the Indian Wells tournament. She was knocked out in the third round by the Czech player Marketa Vondrousova in two sets (7-6, 6-4). The early exit will cost her her fourth place in the WTA rankings. The now world No. 5 had nonetheless been keen to reassure her fans. The player reportedly even returned to competition prematurely, because her knee had not fully healed. "Physically, I obviously need more time. But when the time is right, I will tell you what really happened. I'm sorry, I can't talk about it now. But it's more than that. So it has been very difficult for me health-wise. I'll see what happens. My knee is, I can say, at 80%, it's getting close. At least the pain is gone. I'm building my strength and getting my movement back, but it's not yet at 100%, that's for sure," the Wimbledon finalist had said.

On the same subject: "Ons Jabeur: My knee is at 80%"

In Miami, she intends to show a very different side. The Madrid Masters 1000 winner has rediscovered the joy of playing. She says: "I'm feeling better. I think I'm at 90% of my overall physical condition right now. I'm getting there and I'm really excited to play here in Miami. I always put pressure on myself to push myself to do better. But it's good pressure, not the kind that's going to drive me crazy. For now, I'm just trying to enjoy it and find my game again, because I think that's very important for me."

Given a bye in the first round, the Tunisian will face Varvara Gracheva on Friday 24 March. Ons Jabeur is also playing doubles. Partnering Spain's Paula Badosa, she will take on the pairing of A. Muhammad and Anna Danilina on Thursday at 18:50.