Saudi Arabia has pumped huge amounts of investment into many popular sports across the globe and tennis has also been a part of their plans. Now that the ATP Next Gen Finals are being held in Jeddah, a deal to take the women’s season-ending championship, the WTA Finals, is imminent. However, an international bigwig is against the controversial move, as he recently issued his candid statements.

Iga Świątek won the championship match of the WTA Finals, which was held in Mexico in the previous season. But now that talks are going on to stage a tournament in the Middle Eastern nation, Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s economic affairs director, has recently urged Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka to use their respective platforms.

The international bigwig makes a desperate plea to Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka

In view of the imminent WTA Finals deal, Peter Frankental recently talked about human rights in the Middle Eastern nation. Amnesty International UK’s economic affairs director further urged the top-ranked players on the women’s tour, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, to ‘use their platforms’ to shed light on the same.

In an interview with inews.co.uk, Frankental stated, “If a Saudi-hosted WTA Finals comes to pass we would urge players like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka to use their platforms to speak out about human rights in Saudi Arabia, while the Women’s Tennis Association will have a particular responsibility to use its influence to press for human rights reform in the country.”

An agreement to stage a tournament in Saudi Arabia would see the top eight-ranked singles players and 16 doubles players compete for the WTA Finals title in the country.  If they secure a place in the top eight rankings on the WTA Tour this season, a group that would currently include the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff will be heading to Saudi for the season-ending championship. Though Frankental appears to be opposed to the idea, a top-ranked WTA player previously expressed her ‘excitement’ about the possibility of tennis in the Middle Eastern country.

Ons Jabeur previously talked about the imminent Saudi Arabia move

The sixth-ranked Tunisian player on the women’s tour has publicly backed Saudi Arabia’s possible investments in the racket game. Ons Jabeur previously opened up about how she is ‘very excited’ to compete in the country if the tournament is to be staged there. She said, “As an Arab player, I’m very excited to be there.”

In a press conference before her campaign at the 2023 US Open, the 29-year-old player also insisted that she is ‘pushing for change’ and more opportunities for women in Saudi Arabia. The WTA player stated, “I am someone pushing for a change, pushing to give more and more opportunities especially for women.” 

What do you think of the deal that would take the WTA Finals to the Middle Eastern nation? Let us know in the comment section.

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