Billie Jean King claims the Saudi Arabian population is welcoming changes as she advocates the WTA moving to the region despite women’s rights issues
Billie Jean King acknowledges the possibility of WTA finals being held in Saudi Arabia.
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Billie Jean King (Via ICC Cricket World Cup)
In recent news, it was announced that the ATP Next Gen finals will take place in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027. Due to this, tennis enthusiasts and fans are speculating Saudi Arabia as a location for the WTA finals to take place. With that being said, former tennis professional Billie Jean King was asked about the possibility of Saudi Arabia hosting the tournament, and the legend had a few interesting things to say.
“The WTA played in Qatar in 2008. We brought tennis there and we still hold a tournament there every year. I think we were the first female professional athletes to go there. As we were the first to go to Japan in 1973. It helped send a message,” said the former tennis player in an interview on Lequipe.
She further added, “I think there’s a lot to think about: the way they treat women, the way they treat a lot of things. But 70% of the population in Saudi Arabia is under 30 and wants change.”
With that being said, there are also a few concerns that must be taken care of before women are ready to play in Saudi Arabia. Due to their big issues with presenting a women’s tour event and their record on LGBTQ rights, players refuse to play in the country.
Billie Jean King wishes to have a Tennis World Cup
In a recent interview, American legend Billie Jean King expressed her idea of having a tennis World Cup where both men and women come together to play for their teams. There are a few cups like the United Cup and the Billie Jean Cup that work on this format, but King wants both of these tournaments to combine and host a tennis world cup.
The Billie Jean Cup, which is all set to start in the first week of November, has received a few setbacks, with the top players withdrawing from the tournament.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won’t be able to play in the tournament, and to add to her disappointment, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula also withdrew from the tournament due to tough schedules. Due to the absence of top-ranked players, it becomes more difficult to join the two tournaments together.
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Laxman Naren
(1457 Articles Published)