Former Tunisian tennis player Selima Sfar accuses French coach Regis de Camaret of rape

Former Tunisian tennis player Selima Sfar recently accused her former coach Regis de Camaret of rape.

In an interview with L’Equipe, Sfar shared the harrowing details of the sexual harassment she faced as a minor. She revealed that Camaret raped her for almost three years from the age of 12.

"When I was 12 and a half, I was abused by Régis de Camaret. No one knows my story,” she said. “I took a long time to free myself. It's a big trauma.”

Sfar recalled that the first incident happened when she traveled to Regis de Camaret's home after he picked her up in his car at the Bordeaux airport.

“I was paralysed, I couldn’t move. We arrived at his place late. Upstairs was his daughter and his bedroom, I slept on the sofa bed downstairs. I went to sleep and one or two hours later I awoke when he was touching me. It went from touching to rape very quickly,” she added.

Regis de Camaret, a former tennis coach from France, is known for his work with former French No. 2 Isabelle Demongeot as well as the country’s former No. 1 player Nathalie Tauziat. It is worth noting that the disgraced coach has already served time in prison after being indicted for rape and sexual misconduct.

Camaret was first accused of rape by Demongeot in 2005. Following her complaint, numerous other former students came forward, claiming that he sexually harassed them as minors at a training camp in Saint Tropez. After a prolonged trial, the tennis coach was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2014. As per reports, he was released in 2019.

Selima Sfar said that the reason she broke her silence now was to help other victims like her gather the courage and not suffer in silence. She also acknowledged the tennis players whose confessions resulted in Regis de Camaret’s conviction.

“Respect to Isabelle Demongeot and all the women who spoke out. It took me 25 years to admit it to myself, 35 years to talk about it publicly,” she said.

"He was in prison, he was sentenced. Guilty, he is and will always remain so. He committed a crime, it is a certainty. But the purpose of this interview is not to blame him. He did his bit. I'm talking about it because there is still a lot of abuse, for all those who are victims,” she added.

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"Every time I needed self-confidence, it was super hard” – Former Tunisian tennis player Selima Sfar on the impact of Regis de Camaret's harassment

As an Arab women’s tennis player from Tunisia, Selima Sfar was a trailblazer. She won 11 ITF singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 75. She is now the second-highest ranked Arab woman in tennis history, behind compatriot and former World No. 2 Ons Jabeur.

However, in her L’Equipe interview, Sfar confessed that Regis de Camaret's sexual harassment left her feeling low on confidence throughout her tennis career. She vulnerably admitted to feeling like a ‘coward.’

“In my head, I was thinking why I didn't have the strength to say no, why I didn't say no, I'm a coward. On the court, every time I needed self-confidence, and to make a choice, it was super hard,” she said.

Sfar said that she has finally overcome her “shame” after working on her mental health. She added that she is now proud of the work she put in and who she has become as a person.

“Today, at 46, I can speak because I have worked on me a lot and got help. The shame is gone. When I cry, it's emotion -- it's not the same tears. Shame has turned into pride I'm proud of who I am become," the former tennis player said.