UAE denies Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer visa for tournament

The United Arab Emirates has refused to grant a visa to Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to take part in a $2 million tournament in Dubai this week, the women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour said.

"We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Arab Emirates denying Shahar Peer a visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships," WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said.

The board of directors will now meet to discuss the future of the Dubai tournament. WTA rules insist that any player should be allowed to play at any event on the tour.

The Dubai Tennis Championship is one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious events and this week features every player from the world's top 10 except the injured Nadia Petrova.

But like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with the Israel, and Israelis are routinely denied entry.

Dubai Duty Free, owners and organizers of the event, have made no comment. There was no immediate comment from the UAE government.

"All the players support Shahar," said Venus Williams, who is in Dubai for the tournament. "We are all athletes and we stand for tennis. The players have to be unified and support the tour whichever direction they take on the issue."

Added French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia: "I really don't like sports to be mixed with politics."

Peer's brother and spokesman, Shlomi Peer, said the 21-year-old player applied for a visa months in advance and was assured by tournament organizers that she would be allowed entry.

"Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally," said the statement by Scott.

"The WTA believes very strongly and has a clear rule and policy that no host country should deny a player the right to compete in a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking," Scott said.

Peer had planned to travel to Dubai from Thailand, where she lost in the semifinal of the Pattaya Open to fifth-ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia on Saturday. She is expected to return to Israel Sunday, and could not be reached for comment.

Peer, a former top 20 player currently ranked 48, became the first Israeli to play in a tour event in the Gulf Arab region when she took part in the Qatar Open in February 2008.

Qatar, which had low-level ties with Israel including an Israeli trade office in its capital, suspended those relations in protest against the three-week Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip that ended in January.

At the time, Peer said she had received a warm welcome in Doha.

"I really got a warm welcome from the tournament," Peer said. "When you go on the court you don't think about politics. You just want to play your tennis. They treat me really nice. I feel very comfortable."

"I'm not coming here to help the politics of course, but if by me playing in this tournament it can help anything in the world, for peace or anything, I'll be really happy," she said.

The Gaza offensive, which killed 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis, caused deep anger around the Arab and Muslim worlds.