Gauff Has 'Reservations' About Playing In Saudi Arabia But Hopes To 'Enact More Equality'

Sunday, 03 November 2024 at 01:10

byJordan Reynolds

Coco Gauff admits she has concerns about holding the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to its treatment of women and LGBTQ people. However, the American hopes competing in the country will help bring more equality.

Saudi Arabia's increased involvement in sports is a very controversial topic. The rupture it caused in golf showed the dangers of a country with enormous resources changing the structures of a sport.

Some also feel engagement with or investment from Saudi Arabia should be rejected as a matter of principle due to its history of human rights abuses against women and LGBTQ people, in particular.

Tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova made their stances clear by writing a letter that opposed holding the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, a move that a female Saudi ambassador criticized.

Rafael Nadal has also been criticized for becoming an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. The 38-year-old defended himself by claiming he was helping the country regardless of the vast amount of money he was being paid.

Gauff might be the most vocal ATP or WTA player about issues off the court that matter to her. That is one of the reasons SportsPro named last year's US Open champion the most marketable tennis player in the world.

The 20-year-old's passion for equality makes her opinion about playing in Saudi Arabia particularly notable. Gauff admitted in a press conference she has reservations about competing in the Gulf country, and described the steps she took to ensure a positive impact would be made.

"No, I would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations. Obviously you know who I am and the things I speak about. I was pretty much on every player call I could make with WTA. One of the things I said, if we come here, we can't just come here and play our tournament and leave. Like, we have to have a real program or real plan in place."

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"I think for me it was important and it was one of the questions I brought up because about LGBTQ issues, women's rights issues, how we can help with that. I'm also very aware that we're not going to come here and just change everything."

Despite having concerns, Gauff also thinks sports can open doors to people and points to the commitment the WTA has made to help Saudi Arabia's Future Stars program.

"I mean, my view on it is I do think that sport can have a way to open doors to people. I think in order to kind of want change, you have to see it. I think sports for me, I would say is the easiest way to kind of introduce that."

"Hopefully, with WTA coming here and they pledged for the next three years to help the future Stars Program here in Saudi, have introduced more Saudi women especially into the sport. I think their goal is to have a million people playing tennis here by 2030."

"Hopefully, with that, people can see us, what we represent, and hopefully, that will enact more equality. Right now if you never come here, it can never end up like that. In order to want to have change, you have to see it."