“You’re money hungry”- Fans brutally mock Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sabalenka and others for supporting sportswashing with Saudi Arabia exhibition

Matches will be held in Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, starting December 26th, 2023.

“You’re money hungry”- Fans brutally mock Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sabalenka and others for supporting sportswashing with Saudi Arabia exhibition

Novak Djokovic , Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz (Credit : USTA)

The participation of tennis stars, including the number-one-ranked men’s and women’s players, has brought to light the issue of sportswashing in tennis. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Ons Jabeur, and Aryna Sabalenka have been confirmed to play in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup Exhibition on December 26–27, 2023. As expected, this has led to fans questioning the integrity of said players.

For context, Saudi Arabia has been accused of trying to whitewash its dismal human rights record by playing host to several sports tournaments in an attempt to improve its image.

These investments are often handled by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund i.e. The Public Investment Fund. These investments have also been questioned with critics saying that the Saudis have used their ‘oil’ riches to play a disproportionately high amount to win the hosting rights.

FS Video

The men’s match, on December 27, features the two best players in the world facing each other. Reigning US Open champion Novak Djokovic will face off against his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz. In the women’s match, on December 26, are tennis stars Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, who currently holds the top spot in the world rankings, and the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, the leading women’s player in the Arab world.

That’s not all; Jabeur had earlier defended the idea of playing the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi sportswashing project isn’t restricted to tennis though as the PIF had brought the English Premier League club Newcastle United Last year. In addition to this Saudi Football League club, Al-Nassr bought the services of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fans on social media lash out at tennis players for agreeing to participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup Exhibition

Fans on social media lashed out at tennis stars, including Djokovic and Alcaraz, for agreeing to play in the tournament for a big payday. One of the fans pleaded with the players not to be complicit in Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing projects. Some fans accused the players of being money-hungry for agreeing to participate in an off-season tournament. Others accused the players of being devoid of morals.

alcaraz and djoko 2023
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic after the Wimbledon 2023 final (Credits: Wimbledon)

Sharing a wide variety of reactions, here’s what fans had to say:-

With that being said, it is fair to say that this is just the beginning of Saudi Arabia’s entry into the tennis world, as they’ve been looking to host a Masters tournament too. The tennis authorities might need to hold a strict stance against the Saudi government and put pressure on them to address the human rights issue first.

In case you missed it :