Tennis: Pe'er looks forward to a better 2009

"I don't feel that number 38 in the world is my true position. I won't remain there for long. I feel that I'm playing much better than that."

By ALLON SINAI
Shahar Peer 248.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Shahar Peer 248.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Shahar Pe'er is confident she can rebound from a disappointing year when she gets the new season underway in a couple of weeks. "I don't feel that number 38 in the world is my true position. I won't remain there for long. I feel that I'm playing much better than that," Pe'er said on Sunday. "I don't think I want to erase and forget all about 2008. You can't always be on top and win every match. I think there's much to learn from this year. I matured in 2008 and learned a lot about myself. I learned how to deal with difficulties and how to recover from them." The 21-year-old, who also said she's very pleased with her new coach Pablo Giacopelli, will play her first match in the Israeli tennis championships in Ra'anana on Monday against unknown Ofri Lankri. Tzipi Obziler, Dudi Sela, Harel Levy and Noam Okun are also all set to begin their participation in the tournament on Monday. On Sunday, ASA Tel Aviv claimed the men's and women's State Cup titles. Tzipi Obziler and Julia Glushko led the women's team to a straight forward 2-0 victory over Givat Ala/Haifa, while Harel Levy and Yishai Hadash needed a decisive doubles match to claim a 2-1 win over Noam Okun and Amir Weintraub of Ramle.