Defending champion Jabeur withdraws from Madrid Open due to injury

Defending champion Jabeur withdraws from Madrid Open due to injury (Image Source: Google)

World No.4 Ons Jabeur, who won her first career WTA 1000 title at the Madrid Open last year, won't be able to defend her title this season as she has pulled out from the tournament because of a left calf injury.

Tunisia's Jabeur made it to the final four of last week's Stuttgart Open, but she retired from her semifinal match against World No.1 Iga Swiatek while trailing 3-0 due to her ailing left calf.

Two-time Grand Slam finalist took to twitter to give an update on her injury.

"Further to many medical exams done, it shows that I have a small tear in my calf and I will need more time to recover. I am sad to announce that I won't be able to compete and defend my title this year," Jabeur said in a statement.

It is the second injury to affect Jabeur's season. Following this year's Australian Open, she underwent minor knee surgery which kept her out of the entire Middle East swing in February.

Jabeur returned for the Sunshine Double, and then seemed back to her best on clay. She won her fourth career WTA singles title on the dirt in Charleston at the start of April, then defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Beatriz Haddad Maia in Stuttgart before her semifinal retirement.