“I’ve been given guarantees”: Daria Kasatkina confirms receiving assurance about gay players safety in Saudi Arabia during WTA Finals

Russia’s tennis star Daria Kasatkina has revealed that she has been assured of gay players' safety in Saudi Arabia during the WTA Finals. The Middle Eastern country is set to host the last big event on the WTA calendar from this year till 2027.

Kasatkina is one of the most renowned players who came out publicly and admitted her sexual orientation. It was because of this reason, she had to move out of Russia and settle somewhere else permanently as well. Ever since the news broke about Saudi Arabia’s interest in hosting mega-events in tennis, there have been a lot of reservations from current and former players about the safety of women tennis players, including the ones who are gay.

However, Kasatkina was recently quoted in a report where she revealed that she has been guaranteed safety by the authorities. “I’ve been given guarantees that I’m going to be fine,” she said. “If I qualify, it means that I am top eight in the world - it’s great news for me. We see that the Saudis now are very into the sport, they want to develop the sport. And as long as it gives the opportunity to the people there, and the young kids and the women to actually see the sport - so that they can watch it, they can play it, they can participate in this, I think it’s great.”