The fact that the WTA Finals 2023 will not be hosted in Saudi Arabia is a “disguised blessing” in view of the Israel-Palestine conflict – says Jon Wertheim
Tennis columnist Jon Wertheim recently welcomed the WTA’s decision not to hold the 2023 World Tennis Championships in Saudi Arabia.
The American, who is a well-known personality in the tennis world, recently answered a range of mailbag questions for Sports Illustrated on Wednesday (October 18). Toward the end of the column, he voiced his thoughts on Israel’s assault on Gaza.
One of his hot takes was the women’s governing body’s decision to stage the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.
After repeated allegations of Saudi Arabia being examined as a prospective destination for the event about two months ago, Wertheim claimed that the WTA’s decision to avoid Saudi Arabia was a “disguised blessing.”
He also stated that, while the WTA Finals may be moved to Saudi Arabia next year, the choice was praiseworthy in view of the Israel-Palestine issue.
“Can we all agree that the WTA not holding its flagship event in Saudi Arabia later this month, as planned/hoped, is a disguised blessing?” While the WTA is expected to announce shortly that the WTA Finals will be hosted in Saudi Arabia from 2024 to 2026, “world events will not allow the significance and symbolism of this decision to be easily minimized,” he said.
Wertheim praised the WTA on his social media account in September on the same topic.
“We all agree the timing is sub-optimal…But it ought to be acknowledged that the Women’s Tennis Association had a more lucrative offer on the table, and ultimately had the moral courage to at least hit the “pause” button….,” Wertheim wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle back then.
We all agree the timing is sub-optimal…But it ought to be acknowledged that the @wta had a more $ lucrative offer on the table ; and ultimately had the moral courage to at least hit the “pause” button…. https://t.co/7C8PKpQ9ty
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) September 7, 2023
The WTA Finals had previously been hosted in China, but Peng Shuai’s abduction compelled the women’s association to relocate their year-end competition.
Peng Shuai of China went missing after accusing a former government official of sexual abuse.
The WTA inked a 10-year agreement in 2018 to stage its year-end event in Shenzhen, China. The women’s governing organization saw the country as an important market for their goods at the time.
However, the contract was terminated after just two years due to growing worries about the well-being of Peng Shuai, who vanished from public view after accusing a former government official of sexual assault.
The WTA skipped China in 2021-22, instead holding the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas (the 2020 edition of the year-end tournament was canceled owing to the COVID-19 epidemic). However, they have returned to the nation for the indoor hardcourt season this year.
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