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The WTA Tour “can’t walk away from” the Saudi question, but there are still “tonnes of issues” to be resolved, says chief executive Steve Simon.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly approached the women’s tour about hosting an event, which could potentially be the prestigious end-of-season finals.
“We haven’t made any decisions or entered in to any formal negotiations. They’re talking to a lot of different sports right now,” Simon said.
“We’re evaluating like everybody else.”
Last week the men’s ATP Tour chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said he had also held discussions with potential investors about the possibility of staging events in the country, which held the Diriyah Tennis Cup in December featuring British men’s number one Cameron Norrie.
This follows Saudi Arabia’s increasing influence in the world of sport which included the high-profile takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the luring of Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the country’s domestic league and the staging of major boxing events such as Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk.
The country also funded the controversial LIV Golf competition and this summer has seen several Premier League players move to the Saudi Pro League on lucrative contracts.
However, Saudi Arabia has also been accused of human rights abuses and women’s rights campaigners have been imprisoned, despite some reform under crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, such as an end to the ban on women driving, while same-sex relationships are illegal.
Western intelligence agencies believe the crown prince ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 – which he denies.
Simon acknowledges the issues in Saudi Arabia, but pointed to the success of WTA tournaments in Qatar and says the country has made “huge strides”.
“It’s a very difficult and challenging topic that’s being measured by many groups right now,” Simon added.
“In February I went to Saudi Arabia to see it for myself. We took a couple of players as well. We wanted to see what the change was. There are still issues but the advancement for women’s rights and where they are coming from is transformational right now.
“They have a long way to go, but they’ve made huge strides.”
Simon added that the players involved are being fully consulted, stressing he values “their voice” and “their opinions”.
“I want to understand what their perception would be. This is a big one. And it’s a controversial one and I value their voice,” he said.
“There are still tonnes of issues in Saudi Arabia, with respect to the LGBTQ+ community there, that have to be done. We have had conversations and we will continue to have conversations.”
One concern raised has been the safety of lesbian players competing in Saudi Arabia, which Simon had no concern over but agreed it was a sensitive issue.
He added: “It’s something that we don’t agree with. There’s still progress that has to be made.
“We’ve had direct conversations about that issue. It’s a very sensitive issue over there.”
