The WTA’s deal with Saudi Arabia continues to be the bane of the tennis world. With either side presenting fiery arguments in heated exchanges, the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia debate has reached a new point of contention, with tennis star Ons Jabeur taking a surprising stand behind the Saudi Arabian Ambassador.

In a post on X, Ons Jabeur wrote, “Thank you fir [for] your wise words,” coming out in support of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador, who had not taken kindly to Chris Evert And Martina Navratilova‘s comments about the move.

Jabeur’s comment came to pass after the Saudi Arabian ambassador, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, directly called out Evert and Navratilova’s joint plea to keep the WTA’s move to Saudi Arabia from taking place. Ons Jabeur’s involvement comes as a big shock to the tennis community.

According to Jabeur, the change being brought to the sport by the Saudi deal is one where she embraces differing perspectives, calling it a ‘fantastic‘ opportunity for everyone.

Ons Jabeur makes her stance clear in the WTA-Saudi Arabia row

WTA’s Saudi Arabia move has been a bone of contention for a while now. Tennis pros all over the world have taken sides in the argument. Amidst this, WTA legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova emerged as leading voices opposing the entire deal. Their primary concern was with the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia and raised questions on the reasons the WTA signed off on this arrangement.

READ MORE: Chris Evert Takes Scary Trip Down the Memory Lane as She Reveals Causing Fire During a Joyous Occasion

The former rivals came together when they wrote an opinion editorial piece for The Washington Post, one that vehemently stood against women’s tennis going to Saudi Arabia. Although many pros came out in support of this stance, some others took a different route.

Top Stories

Rafael Nadal Returns to Tour With a Surprising Twist for Rising Stars

Iga Swiatek Opens Up About Financial Struggles and ‘Stressful’ Conditions During Her Childhood

ITA CEO Addresses Backlash Over International Pro-Players Inclusion in NCAA Tennis

Nick Kyrgios Confirms His Return to Professional Tour

Learner Tien Achieves Rare Feat After Defeating World No. 167 in Jeddah

Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka openly supported the move. Similarly, Spanish legend Rafael Nadal signed a deal with Saudi Arabia. The criticism from the op-ed pushed the Saudi Arabian Ambassador, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, to send out a message, calling out Evert and Navratilova directly. Since she is a member of Saudi Arabia’s Olympic Committee, the Ambassador’s voice remains one of the biggest in terms of women’s sports in the country.

However, at the moment, there does not seem to be a response from Evert nor from Navratilova.

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘A**Wipe’- 66-Year-Old Martina Navratilova Gives It Back to a Venus Williams’ Hater After His Insensitive Comment Over Her Reaction to Camila Giorgi