Tennis legend and women's rights activist Billie Jean King is open to the WTA doing business with Saudi Arabia in the future. During the WTA's 50th anniversary celebration in London, King said the partnership could be beneficial for both sides.
King told The National that the WTA and ATP would be able to increase their revenues by partnering with Saudi investors. That would benefit the players and the tours as a whole.
"I'm sure they [the tours] will [go to Saudi Arabia]. I think they will," King said. "There's a lot of money, which is very important to keep having money to help the players, but also help run the WTA, run the ATP and all that."
King also believes that a partnership between the WTA and Saudi Arabia could help advance women's rights in the Middle East. King wants to see more equality between men and women in Saudi Arabia, and she said "engaging" with the leaders of the country would help bring about that change.
"I'm a huge believer in engagement," King said. "I don't really think you can change unless you engage. That's just me personally, I'm not speaking for anyone else here. I'm a big believer in engaging, so I don't know what that really means in the end, but just meeting people."
"I know the Sheikha in Doha was fantastic. She wanted to make Qatar the cultural center of the Middle East. Now, I would never have known that unless I talked to her and engaged in what they're thinking. How are we going to change if we don't engage?"
Continuing on the topic of bringing the WTA to Saudi Arabia, King said "to see it is to be it." King wants young girls and women across the Middle East to see other women competing at the highest level of their sport. She hopes that would inspire them and open the eyes of others in the region.
