Coco Gauff has served up a thoughtful answer when quizzed about sportswashing concerns ahead of the WTA Finals being held in Saudi Arabia.
The Middle Eastern nation has increased its influence over several sports in recent years, including football, boxing and tennis.
Six of the ATP’s biggest and best players recently played a lucrative exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, but it’s the WTA Finals that have commanded the most criticism.
The showpiece event at the end of the women’s tennis season will be hosted in Riyadh, with the action getting underway tomorrow.
But the build-up to the Finals have been overshadowed by debates surrounding Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
Current world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka admitted she ‘has no problem playing in Saudi Arabia’, claiming it’s ‘essential’ all corners of the tennis world get the chance to enjoy the game, before posing with a Saudi delegate to help promote the country’s 2034 football World Cup bid.
However, 2023 US Open winner Gauff has admitted she has had ‘reservations’ about competing and said the WTA must have a ‘real programme in place’ to make sure change comes.
When asked if she had any concerns about competing in Saudi Arabia, she replied: “No, I would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations. Obviously you know who I am and the things I speak about.
“I was pretty much on every player call I could make with WTA. One of the things I said, if we come here, we can’t just come here and play our tournament and leave. Like, we have to have a real programme or real plan in place.
“We spoke with a lot of women here in Saudi. One of them was Princess Reema. Multiple calls with her, how the best approach would be to enter into this different place that women have never kind of, women from the US, have never kind of been in.
On how tennis might help implement change, the 20-year-old added: “I think for me it was important and it was one of the questions I brought up because about LGBTQ issues, women’s rights issues, how we can help with that.
“I’m also very aware that we’re not going to come here and just change everything… But it’s a nuanced kind of conversation.
“I think knowing from the past from my grandmother, integrating her school, people aren’t going to like it, but obviously in the long run I think it could be better for everybody.”
