Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova oppose WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on Wednesday publicly confirmed their opposition amid rising hypothesis that the 2024 WTA Finals can be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Evert and Navratilova wrote a joint opinion piece for the Washington Submit, saying the concept could be “completely incompatible with the spirit and function of ladies’s tennis and the WTA itself.”

Evert and Navratilova, each former world No. 1s and 18-time main singles champions who had been fierce rivals throughout their enjoying days, emphasised Saudi Arabia’s file of human rights violations, particularly in regard to the therapy of ladies and members of the LGBTQ group.

“Not solely is that this a rustic the place girls will not be seen as equal, it’s a nation the place the present panorama features a male guardianship legislation that primarily makes girls the property of males,” Evert and Navratilova wrote. “A rustic which criminalizes the LGBTQ group to the purpose of potential loss of life sentences. A rustic whose long-term file on human rights and primary freedoms has been a matter of worldwide concern for many years.

“Staging the WTA last there would symbolize not progress, however vital regression.”

The pair urged the WTA to have “an open, trustworthy dialogue” earlier than committing to the situation and referred to as for displays to be made to gamers by human rights specialists. Evert, an ESPN tennis analyst, and Navratilova additionally inspired the group to place a human rights framework into place to guard its gamers, and others, if the occasion was to be held within the nation.

Hypothesis a few partnership between the WTA and Saudi Arabia began final 12 months, and its capital metropolis was believed to be in consideration to host the 2023 WTA Finals. Following backlash and criticism, from Evert and others, the occasion was finally held in Cancun, Mexico.

There have been experiences indicating the 2024 event — that includes the highest eight singles gamers and the highest eight doubles pairs — can be held in Riyadh later this 12 months.

Caroline Wozniacki, one other former world No. 1, hoped it may assist create change within the nation.

“I believe it is inevitable that that is going to occur, and I believe when that does occur, I believe we now have an opportunity to make a change and do one thing good there,” Wozniacki informed reporters final week. “I clearly understand, you understand, the human rights and all the pieces else, however I believe when it is inevitable that they’ve a lot cash to place into sports activities, I believe once you’re put in that scenario, you’ll be able to perhaps change, make a change and do one thing optimistic.”

Evert and Navratilova wrote that they’d be extra open to enjoying in Saudi Arabia after change has occurred.

“The WTA ought to revisit the values upon which it was established. We consider that these values can not even be expressed, a lot much less achieved, in Saudi Arabia,” Evert and Navratilova wrote. “Taking a event there would symbolize a big step backward, to the detriment not simply of ladies’s sport, however girls. We hope this modifications sometime, hopefully inside the subsequent 5 years. In that case, we might endorse engagement there.”

Tennis’ governing our bodies and a number of other prime gamers have already begun constructing relationships with the Center Japanese nation. The ATP held its 2023 Subsequent Gen Finals occasion in Jeddah and it was introduced to be the host metropolis for the year-end occasion by way of 2027.

Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Carlos Alcaraz participated in an exhibition occasion in Riyadh in December, and Rafael Nadal was introduced because the ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation earlier this month.