Silhouettes instead of pictures and manipulated by computers stoppered thighs: thus promotes the Qatar Masters women's tennis which starts in Doha.

For years the WTA decided to sell their star appeal to sensuality, but his first experience with the Masters in the Near East confirmed that it has no alternative but to exercise restraint.

The tournament that brings together the eight best tennis of the season came to the emirate shortly after the completion Ramadan, the holy month of the Muslim world in which believers of Allah fasting and abstinence meet to meditate and come closer to their god.

Qatar, who is from a few years immersed in a stage of opening, understood that the change can not be overnight. The result: on the streets there are no traces of the classical charts with publicity photos that highlight the beauty of the Serbian Ana Ivanovic and company.

"As the month of Ramadan, we gather and we decided it was best to make silhouettes and not show her legs and arms of the players. We believed that we had to adapt to the country respecting their customs and religion, "told dpa the Moroccan Karim Alami, director of the contest.

The organization of the tournament previously sent photos of the girls in tennis clothes at the only advertising agency that exists, that is state, and were rejected, although the limitation was only for the field public.

That is why the promotion of the tournament is done through posters in which you see only the silhouette drawn by the players. There is nothing to what we can encontrársele a sexual side.

"They had the idea (of making the campaign)," confirmed to dpa Larry Scott, president of the WTA, which allowed on the most visible of the Khalifa Tennis Center, scene of the contest, was displayed only silhouettes in shades of purple and not the images of their stars in skirts slim.

Some newspapers went further: just a few days ago, and finished with Ramadan, both the "The Peninsula", written in English-like "Alarab"-written in Arabic-modified press announcements, which do show the girls Dressed in tennis, painted using a computer or fits sporting black mesh to cover their thighs.

For the city, women walk with their large black robes to cover their ankles and heads. Some carried their faces uncovered, others leave their eyes and see only a minority are completely obscured.

"Those who are covered are more secure and non-Qataris are young: they are more open," says Hassan, a local vendor.