'Dubai has the ingredients to produce a top player'

Dubai: Dubai-based Katarina Srebotnik feels this place has all the ingredients to produce a top player on the international stage.

"There is everything here needed to make a good player. There are fantastic facilities and year-round weather for practice. I am sure that if there is talent it has to basically come together at the same time and we could have a top player from this part of the world," Srebotnik told Gulf News.

The Slovenian, who turns 26 next month, is currently using Dubai as her base while playing on the WTA Tour and practises at the Aviation Club when she is not touring.

"I cannot think of this kind of facility, or weather back home. That is the main reason why I moved my base to Dubai Marina and have enjoyed every moment of it," Srebotnik said.

Plenty of improvement

The lanky Slovenian reached a career-high ranking of No 20 on the WTA Tour in the first week of August last year. And though she has shown a lot of improvement in her singles, she has had better results in the doubles with 13 titles and a career high ranking of No 7.

Her biggest moment of glory, however, came when she teamed up with Nenad Zimonjic to win the mixed doubles at Roland Garros last year.

"I have been playing good of late. I need to keep up with the momentum," she reflected. "The key, however, is to keep healthy. Once I do that I can hope for many more years on the tour, and many more years in Dubai."