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WTA Ventures CEO Marina Storti said that legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were both involved in discussions before the decision to host the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia was announced.
Evert and Navratilova both wrote a column for The Washington Post this January, opposing the proposal stating that a partnership with Saudi Arabaia would be "entirely incompatible with the spirit and purpose of women's tennis and WTA itself."
The WTA announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh will host the next three editions of the WTA Finals from 2024-2026 following a new agreement between the governing body of women's tennis and the Saudi Tennis Federation.
Marina Storti, the CEO of WTA Ventures stated that a lot of "constructive discussions" took place with both Evert and Navratilova regarding the matter. She said that while the two legends of the game had their concerns, the decision to hold the year-end championships in Saudi Arabia was right for tennis.
“We had a lot of constructive discussions with Martina and Chris," Storti told The National (UAE). "Obviously they are legends of the WTA, they are highly respected, and they had some concerns. Ultimately we feel like we’re making the right decision for the sport, for women’s tennis, for our players, for our fans."
"We think it’s an exciting opportunity and an important step for the long-term growth of the sport,” she added.
The 2024 WTA Finals will take place from November 2-9 and the agreement with the Saudi Tennis Federation will offer a record prize money of $15.25 million at the tournament, with further increases in 2025 and 2026, as claimed by the WTA.
"The WTA’s values sit in stark contrast to those of the proposed host" - Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on hosting WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia
In their column for the Washington Post earlier in 2024, Evert and Navratilova criticized the move to host the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
The duo said that the WTA's values were contrasting to those of the middle-eastern nation. They spoke about the treatment of women in the country and the criminalization of the LGBTQ community. Evert and Navratilova said that hosting the year-end tournament there would represent regression instead of progress.
"The WTA’s values sit in stark contrast to those of the proposed host. Not only is this a country where women are not seen as equal, it is a country where the current landscape includes a male guardianship law that essentially makes women the property of men," Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova wrote.
"A country which criminalizes the LGBTQ community to the point of possible death sentences. A country whose long-term record on human rights and basic freedoms has been a matter of international concern for decades. Staging the WTA final there would represent not progress, but significant regression," they added.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova forged a fierce rivalry during their playing days and locked horns on 80 occasions, with the latter leading 43-37 in the head-to-head.
