Ons Jabeur, the 2022 U.S. Open finalist and former world No. 2, has withdrawn from this year’s tournament with a shoulder injury.

Jabeur, the No. 17 seed, confirmed the decision after the draw was made at lunchtime Thursday, and her spot will be taken by the highest-ranked unseeded player, Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

Mertens will become the No. 33 seed, and her former position in the draw will be taken by a qualifier or lucky loser.

Those are the implications for the tournament. For Jabeur, this is another significant blow in what has been, in her words, a “very tough” year.

Jabeur, twice a Wimbledon runner-up, has struggled with a knee problem throughout 2024, and she revealed in July that she takes regular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to try and manage the pain. Jabeur disclosed this information after a third-round exit to Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon, and since then, she has been suffering from a shoulder injury, which forced her to withdraw from the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. last month.

She returned to play against Naomi Osaka at the Canadian Open but was well beaten, and then withdrew from last week’s event in Cincinnati.

Jabeur, such a popular player thanks to her open personality and all-court game, wrote on Instagram: “Life has ups and downs, but sometimes in the very negative moments we all need to find the positive in it. This year has been very tough for me, but I know somewhere the light is there.

“If you are reading this post and wanting to wish me a speedy recovery, I truly appreciate it and cherish it. And if you are here to question my choices and my team, please find a little kindness in your heart because you don’t know what I have been going through for all these years.”

Jabeur, whose nickname is the “minister of happiness,” turns 30 next week. She has previously admitted to putting the rest of her life on hold — including starting a family — until she has won a Grand Slam.

That goal will elude her for another year.

(Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)