Chris Evert says her decision to write an open letter opposing a move to Saudi Arabia wasn’t made because she wanted to make someone feel guilty if that move happened, but rather because she just wanted to make the WTA and players think about some things before making the final call.
Last year, the WTA was expected to announce Riyadh as the host city for the WTA Finals, but ultimately those plans were put on hold because they wanted to give themselves more time for that move and wanted to communicate every detail better with the players.
And during this year’s Australian Open – when it was becoming clear that the WTA was leaning toward striking a multiyear deal with Saudi Arabia – Evert and Martina Navratilova wrote a column for The Washington Post, in which they heavily opposed the move. In the article, Evert and Navratilova used some pretty strong words as they warned the WTA that they thought going to the Kingdom would mean “a significant regression” for women’s tennis.
Evert and Navratilova’s comments drew lots of attention but it didn’t lead to a last-minute change since the WTA confirmed Riyadh as the host city for the WTA Finals through 2026. The decision was accepted by pretty much all top players as the majority said they were willing to give it a…
