Saudi Arabia might have its eye on tennis, but women players are not convinced

Employing the 22-time Grand Slam winner as an ambassador is part of Riyadh’s plan to make tennis “a major part of its international calendar,” as the Saudi Tennis Federation said, with Nadal set to visit the kingdom each year to nurture aspiring players, increase enthusiasm for the sport, and potentially open his tennis academy there. The country also hosted its first ATP Tour event in Jeddah last year— which saw exhibition matches between top-seeded tennis stars like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, as well as Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur.

However, reports that Riyadh could host the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) final this year, prompted backlash from veteran women players Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert who wrote a letter to the WTA board saying, “Taking the WTA finals to Saudi Arabia would represent taking a significant step backwards, to the detriment of the WTA, women’s sports and women.” The women’s world number one player Iga Swiatek acknowledged that things were “not easy” for women in the kingdom, and said she didn’t know if Nadal’s involvement was “a good decision or not.”