The Women's Masters never stops talking. The last big tournament of the season, which brings together the eight best players of the year, begins Saturday November 2 and ends Saturday November 9, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a kingdom known for the lack of rights for women and LGBT people. As soon as a three-year contract was signed between the WTA professional circuit and the Saudi Federation, voices, notably those of tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, were raised against the choice of the organizing country. Friday November 1, Coco Gauff, the world number 3, took a stand.
“I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't have any reservations… One of the things I said [lors des échanges en amont du tournoi]is that even if it meant coming here, we couldn't just play and leave. We must have a real program, a real plan”declared the 20-year-old American at a press conference. The Saudi kingdom is often criticized by NGOs, such as Amnesty International in particular, for its human rights violations, particularly against women.
For the winner of the 2023 US Open who, in the past, has been involved in her own country on the issue of minority rights, sport can help advance certain fights.“Obviously, I am fully aware of the situation [en matière de droits humains] here in Saudi Arabia. My vision is that sport can be a way to open doors for people… I think that to want change, you have to see things for yourself.”she continued.
“If I feel uncomfortable or like nothing is changing, then I probably won't come back.”she added, specifying that her upstream discussions had focused in particular on the rights of women but also of LGBT people.
Also questioned, the world number one, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, claimed to have not “no problem playing here”. “I came to play an exhibition match with Ons (Jabeur, last year) and I saw that everything was quite relaxed… The efforts they are making for women's sport is incredible and I I'm really impressed”she said.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has undertaken vast reforms in recent years, focusing in particular on tourism and sport to open up internationally and diversify its economy, which is very dependent on oil.
