The WTA reached out to Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for discussions after the two tennis legends harshly opposed the idea of women’s tennis getting involved with Saudi Arabia but still proceeded with their WTA Finals plan after determining that it was the right thing for women’s tennis.
Already in January, there had been strong rumors and reports indicating that the WTA Finals going to Saudi Arabia was a done deal. Evert and Navratilova, both former 18-time Grand Slam champions and one of the greatest players in WTA history, reacted to the reports by writing a column in which they strongly urged the WTA not to accept any deal with the Saudis.
At the time, Evert and Navratilova’s criticism was mostly centered on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and they also expressed major concerns about laws for women in the Kingdom.
“Taking a tournament there would represent a significant step backward, to the detriment not just of women’s sport, but women.” Evert and Navratilova said in their piece for The Washington Post in early 2024.
On Thursday, what has been one of the worst-kept secrets in all of tennis became official as the WTA announced that Riyadh will be hosting the WTA Finals for at least the next three years.
When Evert and Navratilova…
