Ons Jabeur has said she is "100% there" for a WTA link in Saudi Arabia, after recent talks garnered criticism from the likes of John McEnroe and Chris Evert.

World No. 6 Ons Jabeur has backed the WTA's decision to consider having a tournament in Saudi Arabia. Last week, WTA chief executive Steve Simon said that they are thinking about the idea, although it is a "challenging topic."

Meanwhile, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi recently revealed that there has been "positive" discussions with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as they look toward a possible deal whereby the men's tour would involve the country.

This news comes after Saudi Arabia has already begun significant involvement in other sports. In football, they bankroll the English Premier League club Newcastle United and have recently started signing up star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo to play in their domestic league.

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Human rights controversy

These recent developments have received strong criticism from some areas. High-profile tennis veterans McEnroe and Evert have both come out against a potential deal.

The former stated that "Unfortunately, it’s like money talks, that’s all that matters. But I don’t think that’s all that matters", whilst the latter accused Saudi Arabia of "sportswashing" their human rights record before adding "I don't think we need to go there."

Saudi Arabia has often been condemned for issues regarding human rights. Some examples include a lack of women's rights in the country (women were only allowed to drive from 2018), to being accused of holding unfair trials and restricting freedom of expression.

Nevertheless, Jabeur spoke of how she had visited the country last year and "was very impressed with the people there." She also noted that progress is being made in terms of women's rights in Saudi Arabia, saying "I believe in Saudi they’re doing great giving women more rights. It’s time to change things."

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Believes it can benefit players

The Tunisian also pointed out that "we have the best two women in the Arabic world right now playing in tennis", referring to herself and Egypt's Mayar Sherif. She believed this could be another reason to host a tournament in the Gulf State, adding "It's now or never. I hope they really invest in WTA."

Jabeur also expressed her opinion on whether or not Saudi involvement would be as difficult as it was in golf, where the same fund that held discussions with the ATP chairman merged the LIV Tour with the PGA, sparking criticism. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist said that "it is a completely different situation than golf."

Overall, Jabeur's focus appears to be on what is best for players in her sport,

"If it benefits for the player, I’m 100 percent there. I hope in Saudi they will not just invest with ATP, I hope [they will invest] with WTA."

Jabeur defeated Poland's Magdalena Frech in the opening round of Wimbledon and will go on to face either Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure or China's Zhouxian Bai in her next match.

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Steady Ons 💪 2022 finalist @Ons_Jabeur defeats Frech 6-3, 6-3 to advance to Round 2! #Wimbledon

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