Sfar wants to make one final effort before calling it quits

Dubai: Selima Sfar, the Arab world's lone battler on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, wants to make one last-ditch effort before deciding to call it quits by the end of this season.

"I am finding the motivation tough to come by," Sfar told Gulf News after bowing out in straight sets against last year's finalist Virginie Razzano on centre court on Monday.

"That's why I am giving myself a chance this year. I am not supposed to say that now. But 2010 is going to be a deciding year for me. I am going to play as many tournaments that I can as I want to give myself one last chance," she said.

"Personally the two years gone by were the toughest, so I am giving myself this one chance. I will be going all out, maybe 200 per cent, during the rest of the season. I want to travel around the world once again and then want to see what will happen before deciding whether I want to continue at all," the 32-year-old from Tunisia said.

Career dip

Since turning professional in 1999, Sfar's highest ranking has been No 75 (July 2001).

But more recently, she has gone through a career dip and her most recent ranking has been No 190 in the singles. Much of her success though has come on the ITF circuit, winning 11 singles titles and 17 doubles.

With this slump in form has also come a lack of motivation in addition to a personal crisis.

"None of this has helped me really. I'm trying to figure this out but I have been struggling for nearly two years now. I was close to the top-100 and then few months back I had some personal difficulties and at the same time the tennis too failed. There was too much tension at the same and this got me to a point that I don't want any more tension," she said.

Parting ways with the Tour would still make her have one regret though: She still needs another player coming through from the Arab world.

"I've spent the last 16 years of my career waiting for a player to come along. Maybe now, I have got used to not having any one with me. But I am still hopeful that some players will make it through. However, I know how tough it is as I have been on the road myself," she said.

And the best of these hopefuls is Omani teenager Fatma Al Nabhani, who won her first-ever match in a WTA Tour event on Sunday.

"She [Al Nabhani] had a good win in the first round of the qualifiers. That's a good thing to happen to the sport here. But still it is a long way off. She has to keep on going. And everybody has got to support her," she said.

Reaction

Selima Sfar was grateful for the faith reposed in her by the organisers of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. "I've always felt special coming here. I love the crowds and I feel so much at home. I feel most grateful to the faith the organisers led by tournament director Salah Tahlak have had in me. They have believed in me each year and I am disappointed I could not advance this time," Sfar said.

The Tunisian has been a regular in Dubai, and when she has not managed to make it to the main draw based on her rankings, Sfar has been offered a wild card by the tournament organisers.

After turning professional in 1999, Sfar achieved her highest ranking of No 75 in 2001. She is currently ranked 190 in the singles and 83 in the doubles. And Dubai has been a regular haunt with her best ever performance coming in 2001 when she beat Silvija Talaja and Barbara Schett before falling to Frenchwoman and close friend Nathalie Tauziat in three sets in the quarterfinals.