"They say time heals, I'm still waiting a bit" - Ons Jabeur still hurting from Wimbledon 2023 final loss to Marketa Vondrousova

Ahead of the commencement of her 2023 US Open campaign on August 28, Ons Jabeur reflected on her Wimbledon 2023 campaign and admitted that the final loss still hurts.

Jabeur reached her third Grand Slam final at SW19 in July but came up short yet again as she lost to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. The Tunisian was left heartbroken and was spotted in tears after failing to get her hands on a Major title yet again. During the presentation ceremony, Jabeur called her loss to Vondrousova the "most painful" in her career.

Since the grasscourt Major, Jabeur has competed in only one tournament, the Cincinnati Masters, as she stated that she needed time to recover from the setback. Ahead of the US Open, the World No. 5 was asked about her Wimbledon final loss and why she decided to skip the majority of the US Open series.

Jabeur wasn't mentally prepared to get back to the court so soon after London and decided to skip the Canadian Open to get more time to recover. The 28-year-old said she still feels the pain of the Wimbledon final loss; however, she is proud of herself for getting in a head space to compete again at the US Open.

"100%. I honestly wasn't ready to play Montreal. I wasn't ready to come back soon on tour because I felt like I needed time for myself. They say time heals. I'm still waiting a bit. The Wimbledon loss still hurts," Jabeur said.

"It's much better than a month ago, for sure. Yeah, just I think I'm 28 years old now, I've learned from the mistakes of playing, playing, playing tournaments all the time. I think I was really proud of myself to just take a step back, enjoy time with my family, and get ready for the next tournaments," she continued.

At the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ons Jabeur, seeded fifth, reached the quarterfinals. Jabeur defeated Anhelina Kalinina and Donna Vekic before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.

A look at Ons Jabeur's path to the final at US Open 2023

Ons Jabeur reached finals at US Open 2022

Ons Jabeur reached her second Grand Slam final at the 2022 US Open, losing to Iga Swiatek. The Tunisian will be hoping to replicate her performance in New York, where she is seeded fifth this year. Jabeur is defending 1300 points at this year's last Grand Slam.

Jabeur will begin her campaign at Flushing Meadows against Camila Osorio Serrano of Colombia. She will then take on either Linda Noskova or Madison Brengle in the second round. By seeding, the former World No. 2 is projected to face 31st seed Marie Bouzkova in the third round and 12th seed Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round.

If she manages to get past her section, Jabeur will come up against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, whom she defeated in the Wimbledon semifinal. No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek are Jabeur's projected semifinal and final opponents, respectively.