“Personally looking forward to go there,” Ons Jabeur backs Saudi Arabia’s tennis initiatives days after Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s strong condemn

The Tunisian recently signed a sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian wellness brand Kayanee.

“Personally looking forward to go there,” Ons Jabeur backs Saudi Arabia’s tennis initiatives days after Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s strong condemn

Ons Jabeur (L), Martina Navratilova (R) (Sources: Vogue Arabia, NBC News)

The WTA has been looking for a stable home to host the annual WTA Finals for quite some time now. Their historic 10-year deal with Shenzhen resulted in only one tournament and that too before Covid in 2019. After the disappearance of Peng Shuai, WTA announced that they would not host any tournaments in China until the player’s whereabouts were known and the deal fell apart. 

The 2023 WTA Final that was held in Cancun gave rise to many controversies, including poor infrastructure and bad organization. To deal with these recurring issues, the WTA needs to find a stable home for the tournament as soon as possible.

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Right now, the biggest bid that WTA has on their table is from Saudi Arabia. As such, it is almost imminent that the finalization of the deal will be announced soon. This did not go well in the tennis world, though and many former women’s tennis players have raised their voices against hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh. 

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Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were the forerunners among the ones who voiced their opinions. They opined that a state like Saudi Arabia, which is historically known for its regressive rules against women and people from the LGBTQ community should not be hosting the WTA Finals.

In response, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States of America, said that their stances are based on outdated opinions and that they undervalued the huge progress that women have made in Saudi Arabia. 

Tunisian tennis player, Ons Jabeur, has supported Princess Reema’s response and is one of the players who supports the imminent partnership between the WTA and Saudi Arabia. 

Princess Reema’s answer was unbelievable. I think classy, elegant, and every player was impressed with the way she addressed Martina’s and Chris’ letter. We’re obviously looking forward to go there, I’m personally looking forward to go there.

Ons Jabeur via The Sun

Ons Jabeur wants to be an ambassador for tennis in Saudi Arabia 

Ons Jabeur recently signed a sponsorship with the fitness and wellness brand Kayanee, which is owned by the Saudi Public Fund Investment. She said that if the WTA Finals are hosted in Riyadh, she will volunteer to do campaigns in the state besides taking part in the tournament. She wants to inspire not only women but also men in Saudi Arabia. 

Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur (Via Imago)

I feel like people should be more informed about what’s happening in Saudi; more informed about how the country is getting better and better and I feel like it’s important not to just listen to one side; in anything to be honest with you, not just in this matter, but to anything,“ said the sixth-ranked Jabeur. 

Ons Jabeur via The Sun

Ons Jabeur took on Aryna Sabalenka in the Riyadh Season’s Cup in December. She might have lost the match. However, it shows the Tunisian’s unwavering faith in the steps that Saudi Arabia is taking to get a strong footing in the world of sports. 

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