Ons Jabeur revealed that she suffered a mid-match asthma attack after a scary Australian Open scene and was on the verge of retiring her second-round match.
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Shortly after taking a 2-1 lead against Camila Osorio on Thursday, the former world No. 2 was seen coughing and clutching her chest but also crying.
The doctor was called but the medical intervention didn't happen on the court but off the court.
However, Jabeur was able to resume the match and ultimately win 7-5 6-3.
Later, the three-time Grand Slam finalist admitted to reporters that she felt for Osorio because she didn't want her condition to be a distraction or anything like that.
Jabeur: I tried to use the inhaler, it didn't help
"Very, very tough to breathe. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma," the 30-year-old explained.
"I tried to use the inhaler, and it didn't really help. So I was with the doctor, and let's see. We're going to do some more tests and see what's going on.
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"I had to not play long rallies. Not the best opponent when you are in this condition, but I apologized at the end of the match, because I really don't want to behave like this on the court."
In her presser, Jabeur also indicated that she would have probably retired had she lost the first set because it would have been "very difficult to continue" in that scenario.
If the Tunisian is able to play on Saturday, she will meet No. 8 seed Emma Navarro.
So far, they have clashed only once as the former world No. 2 routinely beat the American 6-3 6-2 in 2022 Charleston.
But Navarro is a completely different player as she has since become a Grand Slam semifinalist and also a top-10 player.
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For Jabeur, the hope is that she won't experience any breathing issues because facing the 2024 US Open semifinalist is a major challenge itself.
