Tim Henman and Barbara Schett were concerned for Ons Jabeur following her Australian Open second-round defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.
Jabeur was overpowered by the Czech 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 and was visibly distressed after leaving the court.
Once in the players tunnel, the 28-year-old stopped walking and knelt on the ground on her own – clearly struggling with the notion of the loss.
‘’It’s distressing for everyone to see,” Henman said.
“She’s been out there on court giving it everything. She’s the No. 2 seed, she’s playing on the stadium court, it’s difficult conditions. Not only is it cold and heavy, but it’s also one o’clock in the morning there.
“It’s just so unfortunate she’s gone out in these circumstances, but we all wish her well and if she isn’t feeling her best, she makes a swift recovery."
Jabeur has been under considerable pressure to secure a maiden Grand Slam after reaching the final of Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
But the world No. 2 suffered a knee injury in June last year and Schett believes that this is an ongoing issue.
‘’You can see the disappointment on Ons Jabeur’s face as well,’’ Schett said.
‘’We know she had a bit of a knee problem when I spoke to her. She said she’s taking so many pills, but then also her game today didn’t work out at all. The conditions were very slow.
‘’She is just taking it all in I guess - disappointment and everything is coming out. She wanted to do some damage this year at this Grand Slam and it obviously didn’t work out.
“When I was watching her in the first round, she was rusty out there, she couldn’t create any pace, any power, she was lacking in that today.”
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