 Selima Sfar at the2009 Open GDF Suez | |
| Country (sports) |  Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Biarritz, France |
| Born | (1977-07-08)8 July 1977 (age 48) Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia |
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Turned pro | 1999 |
| Retired | 2011 |
| Plays | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $876,041 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 395–383 |
| Career titles | 11 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 75 (16 July 2001) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2002, 2005) |
| French Open | 2R (2001, 2008) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2001, 2002, 2005) |
| US Open | 2R (2001) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (1996, 2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 238–201 |
| Career titles | 21 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 47 (28 July 2008) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2006, 2008) |
| French Open | 2R (2005, 2007) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2008) |
| US Open | 2R (2005, 2006, 2007) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 41–24 |
Selima Sfar (Arabic:سليمة صفرSalima Safar; born 8 July 1977) is a Tunisian former tennis player.
She turned professional in 1999 and has been ranked as high as 75th in the world (16 July 2001). Sfar is the second highest ranked female Tunisian and Arab player. She has experienced most of her success in tournaments of theITF Women's Circuit, winning 11 singles titles and 21 doubles titles.
Sfar started playing tennis at age 8 at the Tennis Club of Carthage. She left Tunis at age 12 to live and train withNathalie Tauziat under coachRégis de Camaret inBiarritz, France. The serve-and-volleyer preferred indoor hardcourts; favorite shots were serve, backhand. Father, Moncef, is a physician; mother, Zeineb, is a dermatologist; older sister is Sonia and younger brother is Hassan. She is a granddaughter ofHabib Cheikhrouhou who founded the press groupDar Assabah in 1951.[1]
As a junior, Sfar won the Arab Junior Singles in 1992 and reached the quarter-finals of the junior tournament atFrench Open. In 1994, she was African junior champion. She turned professional in 1999. In 2000, she qualified for theUS Open, to become the first Tunisian to achieve this feat. In the meantime, she was able to receive wildcards for Middle Eastern tournaments inQatar and theUnited Arab Emirates. At theDubai Tennis Championships in 2001, she reached the quarterfinals, beatingSilvija Talaja andBarbara Schett before being defeated byNathalie Tauziat, in three sets. In that year, she became the first Arab woman to break into the top 100 of theWTA rankings.[1][2]
Sfar played for theTunisia Fed Cup team, going 41–24. She also competed in the1996 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round toBrenda Schultz-McCarthy, and the2008 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round toCaroline Wozniacki. Sfar holds the records for the Tunesian in the Fed Cup with the most wins, the most singles wins, the most doubles wins, the most ties played, and the most years played.[3]
At the 2005 African Cup of Nations in Tunis, Sfar won the gold medal at both the singles and mixed teams' competitions.[4]
At the2008 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar and her partnerEkaterina Makarova reached the quarterfinals of the ladies' doubles, before they were defeated byLisa Raymond andSamantha Stosur.
In 2011, Sfar announced her retirement from professional tennis. In the meantime, she became a commentator for Qatari sports channel,beIN Sports.
At the2015 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar teamed withMartina Navratilova for the Invitational Ladies Doubles, and they won all three of their matches in their group.
On 28 August 2023, Sfar had an interview withL'Équipe in which she accused her coach, Régis de Camaret, of rape and sexual abuse, when she was 12 and a half years old.[1] The same coach was accused byIsabelle Demongeot of similar misconduct and later jailed for 8 years in 2012.[5]
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 14 August 1994 | ITF Carthage, Tunisia | Clay |  Anne-Gaëlle Sidot | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 2. | 26 March 1995 | ITF Moulins, France | Hard (i) |  Linda Sentis | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 3. | 26 November 1995 | ITF Le Havre, France | Clay (i) | Émilie Loit | 0–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 4. | 4 February 1996 | ITF Dinan, France | Clay (i) | Virginie Massart | 6–4, 7–6(8) |
| Win | 5. | 11 August 1996 | ITF Carthage, Tunisia | Clay | Marielle Bruens | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | 14 December 1997 | ITF Ismailia, Egypt | Clay |  Tzipora Obziler | 5–7, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1. | 22 June 1998 | ITF Sezze, Italy | Clay |  Alice Canepa | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 7. | 30 April 2000 | ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom | Clay |  Dragana Zarić | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2. | 17 July 2000 | ITF Le Touquet, France | Clay |  Bianka Lamade | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 31 July 2000 | Open Saint-Gaudens, France | Clay |  Elena Tatarkova | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 8. | 22 September 2002 | GB Pro-Series Glasgow, UK | Hard (i) |  Anne Keothavong | 7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(8) |
| Win | 9. | 3 November 2002 | ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard (i) |  Lilia Osterloh | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4. | 26 July 2004 | ITF Modena, Italy | Clay | Anna-Lena Grönefeld | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 5. | 1 November 2004 | ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium | Hard (i) |  Yvonne Meusburger | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 10. | 14 May 2006 | ITF Jounieh, Lebanon | Clay |  Anastasiya Yakimova | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 6. | 10 April 2007 | Open de Biarritz, France | Clay | Pauline Parmentier | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 11. | 13 May 2007 | ITF Jounieh, Lebanon | Clay | Mariya Koryttseva | 6–2, 4–6, 7–6(3) |
| Loss | 7. | 7 April 2008 | Open de Biarritz, France | Clay | Kathrin Wörle | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 8. | 5 July 2009 | ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France | Clay |  Anna Gerasimou | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 25 July 1994 | ITF La Coruña, Spain | Clay | Olivia de Camaret |  Sandra de RafaelPaula Hermida | 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 2. | 1 August 1994 | ITF Casablanca, Morocco | Clay | Olivia de Camaret | Cora Hofmann Alexandra Seitarth | 4–6, 6–1, 6–0 |
| Loss | 1. | 5 August 1996 | ITF Carthage, Tunisia | Clay | Sandrine Bouilleau | Mariëlle Bruens Bahia Mouhtassine | w/o |
| Win | 3. | 21 April 1997 | ITF Guimarães, Portugal | Hard | Élodie Le Bescond | Kildine Chevalier Jindra Gabrisová | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 4. | 8 December 1997 | ITF Ismailia, Egypt | Clay | Bérangère Karpenschif | Bianca KamperNicole Remis | 6–3, 7–6(5) |
| Loss | 2. | 11 May 1998 | ITF Le Touquet, France | Clay | Élodie Le Bescond | Vanina Casanova Romina Ottoboni | 6–7, 0–1 ret. |
| Win | 5. | 22 June 1998 | ITF Sezze, Italy | Clay | Vanina Casanova | Alice CanepaAlessia Lombardi | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Win | 6. | 20 July 1998 | ITF Valladolid, Spain | Hard | Gisela Riera | Eva BesRosa María Andrés Rodríguez | 7–6(5), 7–6(3) |
| Loss | 3. | 27 July 1998 | ITF Pamplona, Spain | Hard | Meike Fröhlich | Eva BesAmanda Hopmans | w/o |
| Win | 7. | 10 May 1999 | ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Jo Ward |  Surina De BeerLorna Woodroffe | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4. | 26 July 1999 | ITF Pamplona, Spain | Hard | Jo Ward |  Hiroko MochizukiLudmila Richterová | 6–2, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 8. | 2 August 1999 | ITF Perigueux, France | Clay | Jo Ward |  Hanna-Katri AaltoRika Fujiwara | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 5. | 6 February 2000 | ITF Jersey, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Jo Ward |  Elena BovinaAnna Zaporozhanova | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 9. | 24 April 2000 | ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom | Clay | Lorna Woodroffe | Hannah Collin Zsófia Gubacsi | 6–1, 6–0 |
| Win | 10. | 1 May 2000 | ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom | Clay | Jo Ward | Zsófia GubacsiJasmin Wöhr | 7–6(6), 6–2 |
| Loss | 6. | 15 May 2000 | ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Lorna Woodroffe | Natalie GrandinNicole Rencken | 6–0, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 7. | 3 November 2002 | ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Lucie Ahl | Kim GrantLilia Osterloh | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 11. | 20 April 2003 | Open de Biarritz, France | Clay | Lucie Ahl | Yuliya Beygelzimer Anna Zaporozhanova | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Loss | 8. | 18 August 2003 | Bronx Open, United States | Hard | Mara Santangelo | Yuliya BeygelzimerTatiana Poutchek | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 12. | 13 September 2004 | ITF Bordeaux, France | Clay | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Erica Krauth Jasmin Wöhr | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 9. | 10 October 2004 | Open de Touraine, France | Clay | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Květa PeschkeAngelika Rösch | w/o |
| Win | 13. | 18 October 2004 | ITF Saint-Raphaël, France | Hard (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Barbora Strýcová Galina Voskoboeva | 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 14. | 1 November 2004 | ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium | Hard (i) | Virginie Pichet |  Eva FislováStanislava Hrozenská | 6–1, 7–6(2) |
| Win | 15. | 23 November 2004 | ITF Poitiers, France | Hard (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Gabriela ChmelinováMichaela Paštiková | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 16. | 12 April 2005 | Open de Biarritz, France | Clay | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro |  Timea BacsinszkyAurélie Védy | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 17. | 15 November 2005 | ITF Deauville, France | Clay (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Alona BondarenkoKateryna Bondarenko | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Loss | 10. | 26 March 2007 | ITF Latina, Italy | Hard | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Sara ErraniGiulia Gabba | 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(2) |
| Loss | 11. | 6 April 2008 | ITF Torhout, Belgium | Hard | Stéphanie Cohen-Alor | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Yanina Wickmayer | 4–6, 6–4, [8–10] |
| Win | 18. | 20 July 2009 | ITF Pétange, Luxembourg | Clay | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro |  Darija JurakKathrin Wörle | 6–2, 3–6, [10–7] |
| Win | 19. | 12 October 2009 | Open de Touraine, France | Hard | Youlia Fedossova | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Aurélie Védy | 4–6, 6–0, [10–8] |
| Win | 20. | 22 February 2010 | Biberach Open, Germany | Hard (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Mona BarthelCarmen Klaschka | 5–7, 6–1, [10–5] |
| Loss | 12. | 17 October 2010 | Open de Touraine, France | Hard (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Tatjana MalekIrena Pavlovic | 4–6, 7–5, [8–10] |
| Win | 21. | 24 January 2011 | Open de l'Isère, France | Hard (i) | Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro | Iryna BrémondAurélie Védy | 6–1, 6–3 |
