Pleased with WTA Finals Transfer to Saudi Arabia

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, April 28, 2024
 
Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur is pleased with the WTA Finals move to Saudi Arabia.

The 2-time Wimbledon finalist has a easy message for critics of the transfer: See Saudi for your self earlier than drawing conclusions.

More: WTA Finals Heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“I’m at all times truthfully biased on this place right here and the choice they took. I am very blissful to be there,” Jabeur informed the media in Madrid when requested her response to the transfer. “As an Arab lady, I am very proud some issues are transferring there in Saudi.

“Clearly folks may have totally different opinion. The place it bothers me is that when some folks, they do not know what’s actually taking place there, and tremendous ignorant about what’s actually taking place in Saudi.

“So like Princess Reema stated, You must come to Saudi, be there, and choose your self.”

The 2024 season-ending WTA Finals will likely be staged in Riyadh November 2-9, that includes the Prime 8 singles gamers and doubles groups within the Race to the WTA Finals.

The settlement with the Saudi Tennis Federation will provide document prize cash of $15.25 million on the WTA Finals in 2024 with additional will increase in 2025 and 2026. That is an necessary infusion of cash given the monetary loss the Tour incurred after pulling out of China within the aftermath of the Peng Shuai sexual assault allegations in opposition to a high-ranking Chinese language authorities official.

The 2022 Madrid champion Jabeur, Corridor of Famer Billie Jean King and Jessica Pegula have been among the many distinguished supporters of the WTA transferring its crown jewel event to Saudi Arabia.

Tennis taking Saudi {dollars} would not make sense to Daria Kasatkina, Martina Navratilova and Chrissie Evert, who’ve vocally opposed tennis’ rising partnership with Saudi Arabia. Critics have referred to as the transfer “loopy” given the Kingdom’s therapy of girls is antithetical of the Tour’s mission statemento f empowering girls.

Kasatkina stated cash talks, however she would not agree with the message tennis will likely be sending taking Saudi {dollars} given the Kingdom’s document on human rights violations. Kasatkina, who’s homosexual, stated Saudi Arabia’s document on girls’s rights and LGBT rights makes it a “powerful situation” for tennis, significantly girls’s tennis, to just accept the nation’s monetary backing.

Identical intercourse exercise for each women and men is unlawful in Saudi Arabia.

“Many points regarding this nation. Truthfully, powerful to speak about,” Kasatkina stated on the 2023 Wimbledon. “It is simpler for the boys as a result of they really feel fairly good there, to illustrate. We do not really feel the identical method.

“So it is going to be, to illustrate, cash talks in our world proper now. For me, I do not suppose that every little thing is concerning the cash. Sadly not every little thing relies simply on us, and significantly me, for instance. So it is within the palms of the larger folks, sadly.”

Corridor of Famer Navratilova stated she is not going to work as a commentator on the WTA Finals as a result of she doesn’t help enjoying the occasion in Saudi Arabia.

Critics say it is naive to counsel a tennis event can influence a tradition repressive to girls.

Jabeur stated the transfer represents a possibility for gamers and for the game to assist form Saudi tradition in a optimistic method.

The 29-year-old Jabeur says better understanding can come from this partnership and asks critics to go to Saudi Arabia and provides the WTA Finals’ new house an opportunity earlier than casting judgment.

Jabeur says tennis gamers discuss inclusiveness and the WTA has acted on it by spreading the sport’s world attain to the Center East and Arab girls.

“I feel in the event you’re being abroad and never coming there and see how Saudi is being performed, for me, although I am not from Saudi, however I’d prolong the invitation for everybody to come back and see for themself,” Jabeur stated. “In the event that they actually do not prefer it, they might share their sincere opinion.

“We aren’t telling them to say you actually prefer it or something. Clearly I want to see higher feedback. For me, it at all times has been about possibilities, and going there not simply to play tennis matches however to give the chance particularly for younger ladies to see their position fashions from earlier than and to consider that they’ll obtain something.”

Picture credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty