"The thing I'm concerned about is the women, I want change if we go": Billie Jean King believes Saudi Arabia WTA tournament is inevitable

Former world number one Billie Jean King believes having a WTA event in Saudi Arabia is looking inevitable.

There has been rumours about the interest of the Middle Eastern country in investing in the sport for some time which led to reports that the WTA Finals might take place in the country from 2024.

King was recently quoted in a report where she stated that the tournament is likely to go to Saudi Arabia and is hoping that will change how things are in that country.

“I think they'll be there. The thing I'm concerned about is the women, I want change if we go. But I'm big on engagement & inclusion so it's a tough one. I know people are going to go there. The WTA played in Qatar in '08, we took tennis there & we still have a tournament there every year."

Saudi Arabia has been aggressively investing in sports in the recent past, largely because of a planned state policy of promoting the country’s soft image.

It was because of this reason the country’s backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) first bought a majority share in the English Premier League club Newcastle United. Later, Saudi invested heavily in golf which led to the merger of Liv Golf and the PGA Tour.

In the recent past, the oil-rich country has invested heavily in their local football league named Saudi Pro League where a host of stars from European leagues including the likes of legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, former Liverpool striker Mane, treble-winning Riyad Mahrez, Champions League-winning midfielder Ngolo Kante and others joined the league.