Tennis Legends Join Battle Over Saudi Hopes To Host Women’s Tennis

The WTA board is due to meet next week on the Saudi question amid concerns about whether it is ‘sportswashing’ the kingdom’s human rights record.

AP/Bob Dear
Chris Evert, left, and Martina Navratilova in 1987. AP/Bob Dear

While the world’s top tennis players compete in the U.S. Open at New York, leading voices in the sport are waging a different kind of battle — over the prospect of Saudi Arabia hosting the finals of the Women’s Tennis Association. 

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