Jennifer Capriati said on Monday she feared a back injury suffered at the end of last season could have ended her career.

The former world number one opens her season this week at the Dubai Open, her first tournament since the WTA Championships in November.

"It was kind of serious there for a while," she said of her injury. "I thought a couple of times maybe if it's not getting any better, what if I can't come back and play?

"That thought scared me, but it's a good thing to feel that way, that I still wanted it. I want to decide when it's going to be over, and I wasn't ready for that.

Capriati is seeded third in Dubai behind Justine Henin-Hardenne and Venus Williams and said although the enforced break had done her good, she was anxious to compete again.

"For the first month after the Championships I didn't do anything. I'd injured myself pretty good there. I think it was the wear and tear of the past couple of years," she said.

"It was physically and mentally draining, and I needed a good break and just wanted to stay home. But afterwards, you're so used to travelling that you start to get a bit bored because you've been doing it your whole life.

"The following month I started to get back into it, but there was no way I was going to rush it. I missed being able to play in Australia, but I figured it's a long year and I'm not going to make every single tournament."

Capriati has a bye to the second round in Dubai and will begin her campaign on Wednesday against Australia's Nicole Pratt or Slovenia's Tina Pisnik.