American women’s tennis star Coco Gauff will face American Jessica Pegula in the group stage of the WTA finals in Lydia, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
But while she was in the Middle East country, Gauff also claimed to have met with Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud to discuss the treatment of women there. Bandar Al Saud is a member of the country’s royal family as her paternal grandfather is the former Crown Prince Sultan. And she currently serves as the 11th Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States.
“We spoke to many women here in Saudi Arabia. One of them was Princess Lima. I called her several times and told her that the best approach would be to go into this other place where the women are never friendly, where American women are never friendly. Gauff told reporters Friday.
“I think this is important. “That was one of the questions I raised about LGBTQ issues, women’s rights issues, and how we can help.”
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Coco Gauff (USA) reacts after making a mistake to Emma Navarro (USA) on day 7 of the 2024 US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, on September 1. (Robert Deutsch – USA Today Sports)
Gauff admitted her father was worried about her traveling to the countryside amid systemic discrimination against women.
“Obviously I am a woman. I was very worried. My father was very worried about me coming here,” Gauff said.
Gauff admitted she had ‘reservations’ about attending the event because it was being held in Saudi Arabia. She cited the country’s treatment of women and people in the LGBT community.
“I would be lying if I said I had no reservations. Surely you know who I am and what I mean. I’ve participated in pretty much every player call available at the WTA. One of the things I said was: If we come here, we can’t just come here, play a tournament and leave. Like, we need to have a real program or a real plan in place,” Gauff said.
She compared this situation to the situation her grandmother faced during the integration of American public schools more than 60 years ago.
“I don’t think people will like it when they see Grandma integrate schools in the past, but I think it could be better for everyone in the long run,” Gauff said.
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Coco Gauff of the United States holds a press conference ahead of the Australian Open Tennis Championships held at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on January 12. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Gauff’s maternal grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, enrolled at the former White Seacrest High School (now Atlantic Community High School) in Florida in 1961. This is the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that abolished racial discrimination, Brown v. It’s been seven years since the Board of Education. public school. Odom is a popular and well-regarded civil rights activist in the West Palm Beach, Florida, community.
Now, Gauff says he plans to make an impact in Saudi Arabia, which is home to many controversial human rights abuses there.
“Obviously I am well aware of the situation here in Saudi Arabia. I think sports have a way of opening doors for people. If you want change, I think sport is the easiest way to introduce it,” she said.
“We want the WTA to come here and they have pledged to help with the Future Stars program here in Saudi over the next three years, especially introducing more Saudi women to the sport. My goal is to have one million people playing tennis here by 2030. “I hope this allows people to see who we are and what we represent, and that this will lead to more equality.”
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Coco Gauff of the United States is seen between goals against Arina Sabalenka of Belarus during the women’s singles final on Day 13 of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2023 in Flushing, New York. . (Coco Gauff)
In Saudi Arabia, male guardianship became law in 2022. This means that women must have a male legal guardian and cannot choose who that man is. Many women who supported the campaign against the ban on women driving were jailed and harassed, even though the law was changed to allow women to drive.
Additionally, the country prohibits LGBT relationships, public displays of affection, and gender expression, with severe social stigma, discrimination, and legal repercussions for LGBT individuals, including imprisonment, fines, or the death penalty.
Saudi Arabian political writer Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for ‘insulting Islam’ and founding an online forum for political debate. He had to be whipped 50 times a week. Although he was finally released in 2022, he was subject to a travel ban. He hasn’t seen his family in 12 years, which means he has to wait another 9 years.
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