“Makes women the property of men,” With 36 Grand Slam victories, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova pen down their concern once again as Saudi Merger grows inevitably

Caroline Wozniacki believes the Saudi merger can change the country.

“Makes women the property of men,” With 36 Grand Slam victories, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova pen down their concern once again as Saudi Merger grows inevitably

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert (Image via: Imago)

Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have publicly opposed the growing speculation that the WTA Finals 2024 will be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In a joint opinion piece by Evert and Navratilova for the Washington Post, they asserted that the idea of a Saudi merger with the WTA would be entirely incompatible with the spirit and purpose of women’s tennis and the WTA itself.

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Both former World No. 1s were fierce rivals in their prime time but have come together to emphasize Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights violations, particularly in the treatment of women and members of the LGBTQ community.

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Not only is this a country where women are not seen as equal, it is a country where the current landscape includes a male guardianship law that essentially makes women the property of men. A country which criminalizes the LGBTQ community to the point of possible death sentences.
Evert and Navratilova wrote.

That’s not all; the duo then urged the WTA to have “an open, honest discussion” before merging with the Arab country so that proper presentations are made to players by human rights experts. Both experienced tennis analysts also encouraged the organization to put in place a human rights framework that would shield its players and others if the event were to be held in Saudi Arabia.

A country whose long-term record on human rights and basic freedoms has been a matter of international concern for decades. Staging the WTA final there would represent not progress, but significant regression.
Continuing further, they added

The growing assumption about a merger between the WTA and Saudi Arabia began after numerous backlashes and criticisms of the nature of Cancun, Mexico, which hosted the 2023 WTA Finals. However, there is no concrete official report to support the idea that such a merger would happen.

Caroline Wozniacki believes the Saudi merger can change the country

Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki believes that the merger between Saudi Arabia and WTA can create a change in the Arab country.

Caroline Wozniacki (Source: Tennis World)
Caroline Wozniacki (Source: Tennis World)

Recently, Saudi Arabia has begun to invest more in sports, from football to tennis. With its wealth, the Arab country has lured high-profile players, and last year began a relationship with the ATP Nex Gen Finals, making Riyadh the host city of the competition from 2023 to 2027.

I obviously realize, you know, the human rights and everything else, but I think when it's inevitable that they have so much money to put into sports, I think when you're put in that situation, you can maybe change, make a change and do something positive.
Wozniacki told reporters when asked about Saudi’s partnership with the WTA.

In December, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and Carlos Alcaraz participated in an exhibition event in Riyadh. Also, earlier this month, Rafael Nadal was announced as the ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.

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