It is increasingly common for major sporting events to be held in countries such as Arab Emirates or Qatar. The wealth of these States has been able to attract competitions of all areas, despite the fact that some athletes have denounced the lack of social rights of local citizens.
Football, Formula 1 or tennis are just some examples of disciplines that have chosen to visit the Middle East during their annual campaigns. Precisely, the latter has been the protagonist, during the month of November, of one of the most striking championships, and with the largest prize, of the entire circuit. He Six Kings Slam brought together athletes of the stature of Nadal, Djokovic and Alcaraz in a “friendly”, where Sinner, winner of the briefcase, pocketed 6.75 million euros.
The WTA, the women’s competition, is also in focus as it celebrates the WTA Finals Riyadh in the capital of Saudi Arabia. The tennis season faces its sprint final, and the Women’s Tennis Association is already facing the last major tournament of the year, which takes place between November 2 and 9.
In April 2024, the organization announced that the Asian country would host the WTA Finals for three seasons. However, this decision was not a dish of good taste for all the athletes on the circuit. Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert They were against the decision to move the competition to a country where there is a lack of rights for women and the LGTBI community. For its part, Coco Gauffcurrent number three in the world, also wanted to express his position on the matter.
“I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t have reservations… One of the things I said (during pre-tournament discussions) was that, even if it meant coming here, we couldn’t be satisfied with playing,” the American said at a press conference. “We must have a real program, a real plan,” he added.
“Obviously, I am very aware of the (human rights) situation here in Saudi Arabia. My opinion is that sport can be a way to open doors for people… I think that to want changes, “You have to see things for yourself,” express.
The athlete played her first match in Riyadh on Sunday, November 3 against, also an American, Jessica Pegula. Gauff won in two sets 6-3 and 6-2. Their next match is on Tuesday, November 5 against the Czech Barbora Krejčíková. “If I feel uncomfortable or if I have the impression that nothing changes, I probably won’t come back.” were his words before starting the tournament.
Coco Gauff has not been the first athlete to have reluctance about playing in countries where the rights of numerous social groups are not respected. However, not all athletes share this sentiment. The world number one Aryna Sabalenka stated that “I had no problem playing here (Saudi Arabia).”
“I came to play an exhibition match with Ons (Jabeur, last year) and I saw that everything was quite relaxed… The effort they are making for women’s sports is incredible and “I’m really impressed,” shared. A similar speech was also shared by Jannik Sinner, leader of the ATP ranking.
The Italian stated that he does not play for money, but rather went to Arabia “because there were going to be possibly the six best players on the planet and I could compete against them.” According to the tennis player: “It was a nice event for me, for the first time in my career in Riyadh… something nice Of course, when I won it was key for me to know that I had played well and that this could help me improve as a player for the future. Of course money is important, but not that much, I already live a good life without this money, the health I have is much more important, being surrounded by good people and family, money is an extra,”
