Peer is Enjoying a New Treatment in Dubai

Written by: Staff on 23rd February 2012

Peer is Enjoying a New Treatment in Dubai |

Back in 2009, a controversy of earthquake proportions hit Dubai when Israel’s Shahar Peer was refused a visa to compete in the Dubai Duty Free Championships. The tournament was hit with a record fine and threatened with expulsion from the WTA Tour if such a thing was repeated – although the decision had been taken by the government rather than the tournament. Stung by the worldwide condemnation the country received, Peer was granted permission to play in 2010 and 2011.

This year her ranking was not high enough to allow her direct entry, but she applied for and received a wild card – a remarkable turnaround from four years ago. Peer has always enjoyed her visits to Dubai, despite having to be kept separated from the other players, staying in a different hotel and playing all her matches on a heavily secured outside court.

“It’s been a very good last two years here. We’ve had a very friendly relationship with Salah (Tahlak, the tournament director) so it came up that I got the wild card and I’m really happy to be here. I really appreciate them coming forward and giving it to me. I think we’re doing amazing things here in the last few years, so I think it’s very good for everybody.”

This year the restrictions have been lowered a little, and Peer and her party were given a guided tour of the world’s tallest building.

“This year was the first time they let us go on a tour, to Burj Kalifa, and it was really nice for me,” she said. “It was amazing to see how nice is Dubai and it’s the first time I can say I’ve really seen something.

“They put on the fountain twice for us which isn’t normal in the hours we came, then we went to the mall and saw the aquarium. It really for me was amazing and I appreciate they let us do something like that.

“I took like 80 pictures. You can see The Palm and The World. I think in Dubai everything is the biggest, the fastest, the nicest and has things you never see anywhere else in the world. It’s a really nice city. Finally I see all the buildings and everything is really clean. It was a good experience.”

Her visits to Dubai, and the way she has been received, have had a very positive effect back in Israel.

“Actually they talk all the time. Obviously it’s also a big thing for us as Israelis, what I’ve been doing here the last few years, so they really support and appreciate it. They’re always putting it in the news.

“We’ve always been talking about trying to separate the sport and the politics and I think me and the tournament and everybody together, we have overcome a lot of things that people in the world would never think is going to happen. Hopefully it helps other things.”

This year she even brought presents with her from home – hamsa, a palm-shaped amulet with three fingers popular in the Middle East.

“It’s good luck for us and for some other countries as well. It says ‘thank you’ and my name. For us it’s good luck and also for them. We brought like 50 of them so we’re still giving them out!”

Topics: Dubai, Shahar Peer