Sport | Tennis

Sfar looks for confidence boost

Selima Sfar, the Arab's region's highest ranked women's tennis player aims to embark on a confidence boosting exercise before she represents her country at this year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

  • By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
  • Published: 23:40 February 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Selima Sfar, the Arab's region's highest ranked women's tennis player aims to embark on a confidence boosting exercise before she represents her country at this year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

"Getting my motivation back is a priority at the moment and the faster it comes the better it will be," Sfar said after her 6-1, 6-3 loss to Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in the first round at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships yesterday.

Coach

"I have been struggling with my singles game, and though I keep working hard, the results have not been coming," said the 30-year-old. To start with Sfar, who is now based in Paris, has been on tour without a coach. "And finding a good coach is difficult and very expensive," she said. "So for the moment, I will target some of the smaller tournaments like the $25,000 and $50,000 and see how many I can win so as to build up on my confidence," Sfar stated.

However, her next event will take her to Indian Wells after which she will try and see how she can step down on some smaller events on tour.

"I need to see how things stand by the end of the year before I decide which direction my career is headed," she added.

A physiotherapist attends to Philippine Azkals’ vice-captain Emelio ‘Chieffy’ Caligdong during the first practice session
of the Philippine national football team at the Al Nasr Sports Club in Dubai on Wednesday.

Football

Caligdong defies pain to train with Azkals

Marcel Siem in action on Day One of the Omega Dubai Desert
Classic. Moist early morning conditions affected the German’s
game, who now trails the leader by two shots.

Golf

Mud balls wreak havoc for Siem

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar is awarded the Hall of Fame cap by another former captain, Kapil Dev, as (from left) former cricketers Waqar
Younis, Rameez Raja and Aamir Sohail; M.K. Lokesh, India’s Ambassador to the UAE; Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive; and Ajay Sethi, Channel 2
Group Corporation chairman, look on at a ceremony held at Sethi’s house on Wednesday.

Cricket

Gavaskar inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Sport Editor's choice