Shahar Peer Thriving as Dubai's Unwanted Guest

They put her on a far-away court with only a few hundred seats, saying it's easier to protect her that way. They reportedly have cleared out everyone else on her hotel floor for protection. She is said to be allowed to go from the hotel to tennis tournament and back, and that's all. And she has been given her own dressing room.

The truth is, they don't want Shahar Peer, an Israeli, at this week's Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates. They are half-protecting her, half-punishing her, I think. And to some extent, this is beginning to look like a modern-day Jesse Owens moment, as Peer has been mowing down the world's top players. She is having the tournament of her life.

"When I landed here, there was something going on in my heart that was a little bit more than a usual tournament," she said. "It means a lot for me, and that was why I was so, so happy after my first-round win.

"I never cried after I won a match before."

Peer, who will play Venus Williams Friday in the semifinals, has been a political football for a year (Update: Venus Williams beat Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-4). This same Dubai tournament refused to let her play last year, denying her a visa in an 11th hour trick. Now, she's two victories from standing on court with a microphone -- as tournament winners traditionally do in tennis -- before the crowd and the royal family.

What will she say? It's clear already that she is going to stay classy.

She has been quoted this week saying how excited she is to be playing well, and how nice everyone around her has been while protecting her.

"We all need to be equal,'' she told the Times of London. "I really wanted to win here, not only because of tennis, but because I want to make a statement that politics and sports should not be mixed.''

I'm not sure that's the statement she's making. Politics and sports are always going to mix, and they haven't mixed well for her. Still, she has been the ultimate example of courage, power, class.

"She is enjoying it, but she is not able to see very much because her move-abouts are restricted for obvious reasons.'' Peer's coach, Pablo Giacopelli, told reporters. "She feels good. For her, she is a professional and just coming into another tournament. Obviously, at the same time, there is a special situation with this tournament and she is obviously fired up and wants to do well. But I do not think she is trying to rub people's faces in it.''

So that's just happening by accident.
"She's just brave. She's got so much character. I can't imagine being in her shoes. I can't imagine playing so well with these kind of circumstances."
-- Venus Williams on Shahar Peer
Last year, after players had already arrived, Peer was denied a visa. The WTA Tour, behind former commissioner Larry Scott, went into crisis management. To me, the tour pandered to big-dollar sponsors in a part of the world that's trying to set itself up as a sports haven. This is a $2 million tournament, and Doha had bought the women's tour championships.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy was in the tank. So, after the tour gave tough talk about the tournament's future, the event went on.

"I have to look at the bigger picture,'' Williams said at the time. "The big picture is that Shahar Peer didn't get a chance to play. But making an immediate decision, we also have to look at sponsors, fans and everyone who has invested a lot in the tournament ...''

Yuck. Williams referred to dollars and sponsors as the bigger picture. The players and the tour should have walked. Williams is remembered now for her strong words in support of Peer, but that's revisionist history. When Williams won the tournament, she had the mic and said only that it was "a shame that one of our players couldn't be here." It was low-moment for Williams.

Scott disagrees, saying that diplomacy was the best path, even though some strong voices, such as Billie Jean King's, wanted a walkout.

Tournament officials said at the time that Peer was banned only because they didn't think they could protect her. The tour disagreed, issued a $300,000 fine and said this could never happen again.

"There was a lot bigger impact, and more constructive impact long term through constructive engagement,'' Scott told me in August. "Using the power of athletes being there and using their voice.

"[Williams] had a platform and a stage. And in front of government leaders and royal family on international TV, she called for change."

Besides, Scott said, he talked to Peer at the time who felt "awkward, upset, victimized," but didn't want other players to suffer because she had been singled out.

What else would she say?

Now, Peer is here, and Scott said it was validation of the tour's action.

I don't think so. That was mostly from the public outcry, which left Dubai officials concerned about their future as a sports destiny. This was a PR mess for Dubai, so they gave in a year late. The week after the women's event, American Andy Roddick said he wasn't coming to the men's event because of how Peer had been treated.

Whatever the path, Peer is here now. But in New Zealand in January, anti-Israeli protestors stood against her. Then, at the Australian Open, more promised protests. I talked to her about it in Australia, asking if she felt safe.

"I know there is security going on around me, but I don't know exactly how much,'' she said. "But I really feel safe. I'm just focusing on playing tennis. I'm not here to focus on my security, or whatever's going on outside the court."

Peer, ranked No. 22, has beaten three top 15 players this week, including No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 10 Li Na.

Now, the tournament is in a spot, having sold 5,000 tickets to the women's semis. It can't fit that many people on Peer's court and doesn't feel safe putting her on center court. It is likely to use a bigger side-court.

"She's just brave," Williams said. "She's got so much character. I can't imagine being in her shoes. I can't imagine playing so well with these kind of circumstances."

What will they do if Peer reaches the final?

E-mail me at gregcouch09@aol.com