Ons Jabeur has defended Saudi Arabia as tennis joins the sporting takeover in the nation. The ATP has already announced that the Next Gen Finals will be held in Jeddah on a five-year deal. And there are now reports that the year-end WTA Finals could also relocate to Saudi Arabia.
Jabeur has spoken out following accusations of sportswashing in Saudi Arabia, as the nation has already seen success with football and golf. “There is no perfect country,” the world No 5 told Glamour.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist hails from Tunisia and has been representing the Middle East virtually alone on the world stage in tennis. And Jabeur thought that Saudi Arabia’s efforts to try and bring sports to more women were worth backing.
She added: “For me, these countries are trying to change, they’re trying to do something good. So many women are waiting for these opportunities.” Jabeur’s comments come at an interesting time, as tennis is taking its first steps into Saudi Arabia.
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The Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition was staged in the country last December and the ATP has since announced that the men’s tour will be bringing the first official tennis tournament to Saudi – the 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals.
And it appears that the WTA could follow suit as they continue their search for a host city for the season-ending WTA Finals, which sees the world’s top eight players of the year face off for a spot in the semi-finals and finals. According to Sports Illustrated, members of the WTA board are considering whether to stage the elite tournament in the capital of Riyadh.
They also reported that the Czech Republic was preparing a bid to hold the Finals in Prague’s O2 Arena – a worthy contender with two Czech stars currently in the top eight in the rankings race with another two inside the top 14. But the tournament is expected to go to the highest bidder.
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With Saudi Arabia promising a tournament record of £1.58 million ($2 million) in prize money for the ATP’s Next Gen Finals, it is expected that the nation can also offer a lot for the WTA’s event. Previously, the WTA signed a 10-year deal to hold the Finals in Shenzhen from 2019.
The deal came with a lucrative £11m ($14m) total prize money pot to be shared out over the tournament – at the time a record for the most cash on offer to players at a single tour event. But the WTA Finals hasn’t been held in China since its inaugural year in 2019. The Covid pandemic prevented players from returning and the WTA then boycotted the nation over the whereabouts of Peng Shuai.
However, the women’s tennis tour will return to China later this year during the regular ‘Asian swing’ section of the calendar, with tournaments in Hong Kong, Beijing, Ningbo, Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou.
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