Jessica Pegula on if she has any reservations or concerns about playing in Saudi Arabia, given the human rights record, particularly around women’s rights and the LGBTQ+ community⬇️ @WTAFinalsRiyadh Source: ASAP Sports Transcript
"60,000 are playing tennis in schools": Positive impact outweighs human rights concerns for Pegula in WTA Finals bid
WTASaturday, 02 November 2024 at 09:43
Jessica Pegula will open up her WTA Finals campaign in RIyadh on Sunday and one of the main questions surrounding the event was the sportswashing angle and also rights for women which have been issues thus far in staging the tournament.
But Pegula hasn't seen any issues of the kind in that it has in fact inspired Saudi women to play tennis and she said the effect that she has had thus far while being over there outweighs the other issues with the positive message they're portraying coming across.
"For me not really. We've had long discussions about it, it's been in the works I feel like for a while," said Pegula.
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"To me I mean we've been already able to do a lot of things here for a lot of the young girls, the young women. I've had several people come up to me and just tell me how amazing it is to see us competing here, how it's really going help the sport, help a lot of young girls."
"This woman told me yesterday they've got 60,000 I think girls now playing tennis in schools. We got to do Special Olympics the other day where it was girls that have said they just started playing tennis or starting to learn to play tennis. I feel like when you have those moments, you know on the good side what you're doing for the sport."
"Again I think it was the right decision for us. I don't really have any issues playing here. So far everyone has been super welcoming."
"There was a lot of debate back and forth, a lot of pros and cons and everything. We knew if we came here what our kind of goals were as far as growing it for women, helping women play, a lot of young girls, doing a lot of activations with them and stuff like that."
"We know of course anywhere you go, there is pros and cons. I think we were just working on the good messaging that we were able to do and to send, and what we could really do to transform the game here in the country."
"Even though I know it's not perfect for everyone involved. I think again when you have women coming up to you and telling you like the things I just said, girls are starting to play tennis now, opening it up, that's really cool. When you are able to do clinics with these young girls who are so excited. Even the girl ballkids were just freaking out seeing us in the hotel asking for autographs. When you see you're changing those girls' lives. I think it starts to take precedent over what you're trying to achieve. I think it's the right thing."
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