Ons Jabeur is the latest U.S. Open player with an illness
Ons Jabeur during a match against Linda Noskova in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
Ons Jabeur overcame flu-like symptoms to win a gutty three-set match at the U.S. Open on Thursday night against rising Czech star Linda Noskova.
The fifth-seeded Jabeur is not the first player at this Open who has gotten ill. But, she clarified after her victory, she has not been stricken by a stomach bug that affected several players during the first week of the tournament.
“No, actually my stomach is fine,” said Jabeur, a Tunisian who will face No. 31 Marie Bouzkova in the third round on Saturday. “It's not the stomach. I think I got a flu or something. I know some other players got stomach issues. Not me, thankfully.”
Players who are known to have been affected by symptoms are Dominic Thiem, who was forced to retire after one set in his second-round match on Wednesday against Ben Shelton. Thiem said he vomited before the match.
Also on Wednesday, Christopher Eubanks had to rush for a bathroom break in the third set and then asked for medical attention during the fourth set of his match against Benjamin Bonzi. Eubanks lost in four.
Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori withdrew from the tournament before his opening match because of an undisclosed illness.
Tennis legend and ESPN broadcaster John McEnroe, who participated in a “Stars of the Open” exhibition match on Aug. 24 with current players including Eubanks, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Elina Svitolina, Jessica Pegula and Matteo Berrettini, announced on Tuesday that he would be skipping the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19. McEnroe is 64.
Open organizers announced on Thursday that it had set an all-time record when 73,007 fans attended Wednesday’s sessions. The previous record of 72,957 had been set on Monday, the first day of the tournament.
There are no COVID restrictions at the Open despite the recent uptick in cases in New York City. On Tuesday, City health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan issued a statement that said the new BA.2.86 COVID variant “is almost certainly circulating here.”
The most obvious and visible illness among players belongs to Jabeur, who was experiencing breathing difficulties and coughing and required medical attention during her first-round, straight-set victory over Camila Osorio on Tuesday.
“I have the flu, so it wasn’t easy to play,” Jabeur said after that match. “I also have a history of asthma. So it was a very, very tough day for me. I did consider retiring to be honest, so many times. But every point, I kept going. I wanted to push myself to my limits."
Instead of the traditional post-match handshake, Osorio hugged Jabeur when it was over. Osorio asked Jabeur if she was OK.
“I told her, ‘Not really, ‘” Jabeur said in an on-court interview.
Jabeur faced Noskova in a night match on the grandstand court on Thursday. Jabeur won the first set, 7-6 (7), but lost the second, 6-4, and trailed 2-3 in the third before winning the next four games and the match, 6-3.
"I tried to stay calm and obviously the crowd didn't give up, so thank you so much for pushing me," Jabeur said in her on-court interview, during which she was called a “warrior.” "This is a very special tournament and I think I'm going to use warrior as a symbol for this tournament to continue to the end."
Jabeur said she has been feeling ill since Aug. 24.
“I'm taking a lot of medicine,” she said. “I'm doing everything I can with my team trying to recover. Honestly, they have amazing doctors here, so they've been helping me. Every day I'm there. Basically took every medication they have.”
With so many fans on the grounds and in the stadiums, and the players sharing locker-room facilities, some players are adding “stay healthy” to their usual routines.
"I haven't been spending much time on-site,” Danish star Caroline Wozniacki said earlier this week. “I come here to practice and play my matches. That's usually, anyway, my routine. Usually, I love to be the first one on the practice courts and I'm out of here before everyone gets in. Really, I try to hydrate and stay healthy. I feel pretty good. So hopefully that is going to continue. I usually stay away from people that look sick anyway. But I haven't seen many people actually in the women's locker room not feeling well."
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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