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• Israeli professional tennis player Shahar Peer is a member of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. Although she was ranked 48th in the world among female tennis players in February of 2009 and was eligible to compete in the Dubai Tennis Championship, Peer was denied a visa and thus could not enter the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the event. The UAE reportedly cited "security concerns" as their reason for denying Peer entry into the country.OregonLive.com: Dubai says Israeli rejected for security fears (January 17, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: May 1, 1987
  2. Birth place: Jerusalem, Israel
  3. Residence: Maccabim, IsraelJewsInSports: Shahar Peer Profile
  4. Height: 5' 7"
  5. Weight: 132 lbs
  6. Right-handed
  7. Joined the ITF junior circuit in 2001Official Site: On-Court Bio
  8. Turned pro in 2004JewsInSports: Shahar Peer Profile
  9. Career high (singles): Ranked 15th in the WTA following the 2007 seasonWTA Tour: Shahar Peer Profile

• Denial Response

  After Peer was denied entry into the UAE to compete in the 2009 Dubai Championship, WTA Chairman and CEO Larry Scott said that the tournament would be allowed to continue, but the organization "will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament." In response to the Peer ban, The Tennis Channel dropped its coverage of the event and The Wall Street Journal Europe dropped its sponsorship. Peer reported that she was "very, very disappointed" with the decision and fellow WTA player Venus Williams said: "All the players support Shahar."CNN: Dubai in dock over Israeli tennis star's ban (February 17, 2009)

• Israel's First

  In February of 2008, Peer became the first Israeli tennis player to compete in a Gulf Arab country when she competed at the Qatar Open. She had been banned from competing in the event the two previous years while she was training with the Israeli military, as the government does not allow military personnel to compete in countries which don't have diplomatic relations with Israel.International Herald Tribune: Peer becomes 1st Israeli to play in Gulf Arab region... (February 18, 2008)

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