Homosexuality is unlawful in Saudi Arabia, whereas Amnesty Worldwide has cited the nation’s “jailing of ladies’s rights activists, suppression of free speech and rampant use of the loss of life penalty”.
BBC Sport requested all eight singles gamers the identical query: “Did you personally have any reservations or considerations about coming right here given the report on human rights, notably round girls’s rights and the LGBTQ+ neighborhood?”
The responses had been diversified, though there was the sense that gamers felt free to talk with out concern of repercussions. Many mentioned they hoped they may assist result in change.
A number of referenced calls that had taken place between gamers and the WTA, with Jessica Pegula – a member of the WTA’s participant council – saying there was “a whole lot of debate backwards and forwards”.
Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini all prompt showcasing top-level girls’s sport may very well be a great instance inside Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek mentioned she was making an attempt to “observe and learn the way all the pieces works”, whereas Sabalenka mentioned: “I noticed all the pieces right here is sort of chill.
“Me personally, I haven’t got any points enjoying right here. I believe it is actually necessary to carry tennis all around the globe and encourage [the] younger technology.”
Gauff’s response drew on her household’s expertise of the transfer away from racial segregation in the US.
“Figuring out from the previous from my grandmother, integrating her college, individuals aren’t going to love it, however in the long term I believe it may very well be higher for everyone,” she mentioned.
However the 20-year-old added: “If I felt uncomfortable or felt like nothing’s taking place, then perhaps I in all probability would not come again.”
