WTA follows in the footsteps of ATP. There has been a lot of speculations surrounding a permanent venue for the WTA Finals over the years. But as per reports published by Polish media, ‘Sport.pl‘, Riyadh is set to be the host for the WTA Finals until 2026 with an option to extend it further.

This comes just days after the men’s tour strikes a staggering “multiyear strategic partnership” with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The deal suggests the ATP rankings and the year-end world number one award will be named after the PIF. Moreover, the PIF will also have on-court branding at six different ATP tournaments. Let’s get into the details of recent news coming out from Saudi Arabia surrounding the WTA Finals.

Despite having numerous opposition from the tennis world, WTA Finals is all set to move to Saudi Arabia

Several critics have accused the Kingdom of using the PIF to “sportswash” its human rights record. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has raised her voice since the very first day against tennis moving to the Kingdom. But if things go right. The 2024 WTA Finals tournament is set to be held in Riyadh from November 3 to November 10 this year. Although nothing has been confirmed by the WTA officially. They said, “We are still in the process of selecting the host of the WTA Finals.” 

Saudi Arabia has been making constant efforts to enter the world of racket sports. In January, this year they announced the Spanish tennis legend, Rafael Nadal as the brand ambassador for the Tennis Federation of Saudi Arabia. Talking about tennis in Saudi Arabia, Nadal said, “It’s a big opportunity to develop the sport in a country.” He highlighted the fact that the country has been investing a lot in sports to encourage its younger generations to get into the game.

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Rafael Nadal wants to promote tennis. But what are his thoughts on claims saying he is playing a role in sportswashing operation? “I don’t think Saudi Arabia needs me to wash any image. It is a country that has opened up to the world and it is a country with great potential,” Nadal. He is not ready to put a comment early and hopes to work with freedom upholding his values as of now. But if that doesn’t happen, he says “I will tell you that I made a mistake and that I was wrong.”

Saudi Arabia’s Endeavors in Conquering Tennis Worries Andy Murray as He Raises Concern Over the Future of the Game

There were several players like Aryana Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and Australian tennis player- Storm Hunter supported the move. But there were few like Tennys Sandgren who called ATP’s move “Money>Gender“. But the strongest of voices to speak against this Saudi move were tennis legends, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert said, “Taking a tournament there would represent a significant step backward”

A few months ago, both tennis legends wrote a joint piece for the Washington Post talking about the potential move of the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia. Earlier they had highlighted the gender inequalities that are faced in that country.

Now, they said, “The WTA should revisit the values upon which it was established. We believe that those values cannot even be expressed, much less achieved, in Saudi Arabia. Taking a tournament there would represent a significant step backward, to the detriment not just of women’s sport, but women.” They hope this will change someday.

Navratilova and Evert further highlighted WTA must stand for human rights as long as inequality for women exists in this world. What are your thoughts on this move by WTA?