Ons Jabeur says she is bothered by those who are ‘super ignorant’ about Saudi Arabia with the WTA Finals heading to the country later this year.
The world No.9 has reiterated her support behind the premier event of the women’s Tour heading to the Middle Eastern nation despite concerns raised by some. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of sportswashing which is the process of using sport to improve a reputation that has been tarnished by wrongdoing. Concerns have been raised about human rights in the country, especially for women and those from the LGBT community.
Earlier this year, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert co-wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post warning against a move to the country. Prompting anger from Saudi Arabia with its ambassador to America, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, highlighting improvements made to women’s rights in a two-page statement posted on social media. However, Navratilova recently stated that she has no plans to work in the country as a pundit.
Amid the debate, Jabeur told reporters in Madrid on Saturday that she is ‘proud’ of the WTA Finals being held in Saudi Arabia and believes it will help inspire a new generation of players.
“I am always honestly biased in this position here and the decision they took. I’m very happy to be there. As an Arab woman, I’m very proud some things are moving there in Saudi,” she said after beating Leylah Fernandez 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
“Obviously people could have a different opinion. Where it bothers me is that when some people, they don’t know what’s really happening there, and are super ignorant about what’s really happening in Saudi.
“So as Princess Reema said, You should come to Saudi, be there, and judge yourself.”
One of Jabeur’s sponsors is fitness and welfare brand Kayanee which is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. According to the company, their goal is to ‘promote quality of life for women.’
“Obviously I wish to see better comments (about Saudi Arabia),” she continued.
“For me, it always has been about chances, and going there not just to play tennis matches but to give the opportunity especially for younger women to see their role models from before and to believe that they can achieve anything.”
In recent days a series of meetings have been held in Madrid between tennis bosses and representatives from Saudi Arabia concerning the future of the sport. The country has expressed interest in hosting a Masters 1000 event but the ATP had to issue a statement last Friday saying that no official decision has taken place. Should they get the green light, one possibility is the Saudi event could be held in February which would have a massive negative impact on the South American swing. There have also been talks about the proposed Premium Tour.
Shortly before this year’s Madrid Open began, it was confirmed that the PIF had signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with the tournament. The deal follows similar agreements with events in Indian Wells, Miami and the Nitto ATP Finals, in addition to the Beijing ATP 500 event, and the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. The PIF is also a Platinum Partner of the ATP and has naming rights to its official rankings.
