Chris Evert stunned by WTA’s decision to move the Tour Finals to Saudi Arabia despite human rights and sexist issues in the country

Chris Evert slams the WTA for their decision to organize the WTA finals in an alleged sexist and homophobic country, Saudi Arabia. 

Chris Evert stunned by WTA’s decision to move the Tour Finals to Saudi Arabia despite human rights and sexist issues in the country

Chris Evert (Image via: YouTube/Imago)

Numerous supporters were astonished and outraged after the WTA announced that the WTA Finals would be held in Saudi Arabia. For the uninitiated, Saudi Arabia has been chasing sports like football, golf, F1, cycling, and many more, attracting them with their oil money, but tennis may be next, despite the country’s human rights and sexist issues.

Many fans are criticizing the organization, claiming that women’s rights are a joke to the Saudi government. They are still not allowed to marry or divorce without the permission of their male guardians. They can’t even leave their own house alone, and the WTA wants to have such a large event there when women are not allowed to watch sports in stadiums, let alone participate in them; they can only watch sports on television.

YouTube video

Many people are outraged by this decision and tennis legend Chris Evert is one of them. She noted, “I mean, for me, I would prefer not to go to Saudi Arabia to play the WTA Finals. Not that I’m going to go play, but for me, I would prefer the WTA not go to Saudi Arabia. Obviously, they have the human rights issues and everything, just the way they treat women. I would be against it. But I don’t have a vote.”

FS Video

Even former tennis legend John McEnroe is opposed to this decision, stating, “This is something that’s being bandied about obviously since golf did this, but a lot of the people… are hypocrites that sit around and say that golf or tennis shouldn’t go there while tons of businesses and tons of these people that you know about—including our government and many, many others—go there and do business, but all of a sudden it’s outrageous that sports athletes do it.“

Continuing his train of thoughts, he later added, “Having said that, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t think our sport needs it. I don’t think it would benefit from it, and I don’t think we should do it, personally. But as [Evert] said, it’s not up to us.“

As expected, many fans tweeted their opinions regarding the WTA’s decision. While some brutally called out the human rights issues, a few even went on to highlight how not everything should be about money. Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say: 

https://twitter.com/ra_rinne/status/1694382755935613273?s=20

Also Read: US Open 2023 Women’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction: Will Aryna Sabalenka overcome Iga Swiatek in the World No. 1 race?

The downfall of The WTA Finals?

BNP Paribas WTA Finals
BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2017 (IImage via WTA Finals)

If the WTA Finals are held in Saudi Arabia, many players may not feel recognized or comfortable because of sexist behaviors and LGBTQ rights. With that being said, many people see this as a fantastic opportunity to put women’s tennis on the map, but others see it as a cheap approach to promoting women’s sports.

That’s not all; there is no denying the fact that many players will be outraged by this decision and will most likely utilize their platform to raise awareness about these concerns or to advocate for change. So it will be interesting to watch what the WTA’s next decision is.

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