Andy Murray admits he may have to stage a U-turn on his pledge not to play in Saudi Arabia as the sport appears to be heading to the country in the future.
Over the past couple of weeks, it has been confirmed that both the ATP and WTA have already held discussions with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). A sovereign wealth fund worth billions that has already heavily invested in football, golf and other sports. ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi said he has conducted ‘positive’ talks with the group. Meanwhile, the head of the WTA, Steve Simon, visited the country earlier this year and is claiming that bringing tennis to the region might help improve life for women in the country.
Meanwhile, Billie Jean King told reporters on Friday that she supported such talks because ‘change can’t happen unless you engage.’ Not only is King a tennis icon, but she is also one of the first openly gay athletes in the sport which prompts more scrutiny of her remarks. Same-sex relations are not codified under the law in Saudi Arabia but they are strictly forbidden under sharia law which is what they use to draw their legal framework. A member of the Saudi Tennis Federation told me that bringing a same-sex partner to the country was fine as long as there were no mentions or signs of a relationship. Effectively saying that same-sex couples must be in the closet.
“If you came with your boyfriend and you didn’t show that to the public, it’s not a problem. Our problem is that we don’t accept anyone forcing their ideology or culture in public. It’s against our culture.” An STF member told me.
Earlier this year, Murray reiterated that he would not play in the country due to concerns over its human rights record. In the past, he declined an invitation to play an exhibition event there. However, should a Tour event be staged there he now admits that he may play.
“In the past when we were asked to go and play there, we were asked to go and play exhibition tournaments. If they become major tournaments on the tour, it becomes a slightly different question,” Murray told reporters during his pre-Wimbledon press conference.
“It’s a difficult one based on how the tour and the rankings and everything work, how important they are to get into other events and stuff. When you start missing them, you get penalized for that.’
“It’s something I would have to think about. Unfortunately, it’s the way that a lot of sports seem to be going now.”
Saudi Arabia has made improvements to their human rights record in recent years with women allowed into sports stadiums in 2017. It appears that they are heading in the same direction as the UAE who have grown more pro-Western in recent years. However, human rights organizations still have concerns. This was also the case with Qatar who staged the FIFA World Cup last year.
Although it is not just the human rights aspect, it is the influence of the PIF. In golf, they funded the LIV Tour which divided the sport before a shock merger was announced a few weeks ago. It is this move that is making some very wary about their possible involvement in tennis.
“I think personally it was just a question of time when they were to start some kind of negotiations or conversations in tennis to try to enter tennis,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic commented.
“We as an individual sport on a global level are probably closest to golf in terms of how we see sports. I think from that example we can probably learn a lot, some positives, some negatives, and try to structure a deal if it’s going in that direction in a proper way that is going to protect the integrity and tradition and history of this sport, but still be able to grow it in such way that it will be appropriate.”
In a bid to ease reservations, Simon says he has received assurances that it would be fine for women to play sleeveless in the country and he has no safety concerns about lesbian players playing there. Although he added that the LGBT topic is a ‘sensitive issue over there.’
Saudi Arabia currently has no players with an official ranking. It wasn’t until this year that the country entered a women’s team into the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time, which was in the junior competition. Nevertheless, it appears that it is only a matter of time before they become a heavyweight in the sport.
“I’ll be ready to play wherever the WTA decides we’re going to play. I’m still kind of waiting for all the information.” WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek commented.
Both the WTA and ATP have said that no agreements have been formally made yet with the PIF.
