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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Fatma al Nabhani back in action

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Muscat: After weeks of elaborate medical treatment in Qatar and Oman for a slip disc and traversing through excruciating pain, Oman’s Fatma al Nabhani, top female tennis player, is getting all set to trigger yet another wave of winning spree with her first appearance at the International Tourney in Tunisia today (Sunday), a day her fans across the region will cherish.


“I am extremely happy that I’m fit to take on heavy shots thanks to my family, the doctors and all who cared for me,” Fatma al Nabhani told the Observer on the sidelines of a medical event at the Muscat City Centre.


Oman’s ace tennis player, who is currently ranked at 367th in the world, was found to be having a slip disc just five days before the Indonesian Games in 2010. Since then, she had been undergoing treatments, but it was not a reason to worry on court and off court for Fatma all the while.


On September 11 this year, her slip disk started propping up again giving her pain and kept her away from tennis courts for some time. Today, she is representing her country in another battle that will last for two weeks. She will be home on September 22.


“I shall keep a low profile for some time from now and take part in smaller championships before I take up bigger tasks.”


Fatma says she has been highly motivated and inspired by her brothers who are professional players and her mother was their first coach that helped her pick up the racket at the very tender age of four and her journey to the top has been phenomenal. She gradually rose through the junior ranks, becoming 33rd in the world and has found the journey to the professional circuit a solitary one and this year is unfolding as an exciting time for her.


“This year is highly challenging as I have to work on improving on the ranking and will have to work hard for that,” a serene yet determined Fatma said.


Fatma has won four singles and four doubles titles on the ITF tour in her career. On 4 October 2010, she reached her best singles ranking of world number 362. It was the same year that she was reported to have a slip disk which kept giving her pain for days at a stretch making it near impossible to take on major tourneys. She was advised to play low due to the pain and was treated by the Sports Medicine Department at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher followed by detailed medical examinations in Doha.


Kabeer Yusuf


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