The WTA has signed a three-year deal that will allow Saudi Arabia to host a tournament pitting the eight leading women’s singles and top eight doubles teams of the season against each other.
This year’s total prize money is the largest in the history of women’s sports at $15.5 million, the WTA said.
Many critics argue that the investment in elite sports is a move to gain legitimacy and divert attention from the controversy over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, a practice known as “sportswashing.”
While reforms have taken place – for example, the driving ban on women was officially lifted in 2018 – concerns remain over the kingdom’s suitability to host prominent women’s sporting events.
“Gender discrimination persists in most aspects of family life, including marriage, divorce and child custody,” Fakih told BBC Sport.
The Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) was asked by BBC Sport to address these concerns during the WTA Finals but did not make any of its officials available for interview.
Campaign group Humans Rights Watch says there is no evidence that the WTA’s presence is improving women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, pointing to a “lack of action” in cases where women have been jailed for advocating for change.
Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness influencer and activist, is serving a five-year prison sentence for tweets supporting women’s rights.
“The Saudi authorities continue to detain my sister as they continue their charade of image laundering and claiming to empower women in front of the Western media,” her sister Fawzia al-Otaibi told BBC Sport.
Al-Otaibi’s other sister, Mariam, remains under a travel ban, while she faces restrictions on her speech and access to government services, according to Humans Rights Watch.
“Seeing human rights defenders imprisoned and continuing to be imprisoned – things that were known before the WTA came into effect – is a good indicator of the lack of progress,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
“It is clear that the Saudi authorities do not feel any significant pressure to do anything.”
Muguruza has visited the kingdom several times since the finals moved there, visiting communities to visit schools and clubs with the aim of attracting more female tennis players.
Based on these experiences, she says the women she has met are “so happy” that the event is happening on their doorstep.
When asked if she is concerned about ‘sports washing’, Muguruza said: “No, I don’t think so.
“That was probably a conversation from two years ago or something, when people here were less familiar with the sport, but I think this is over.
“There are so many events in the sport here and it has been very successful. I don’t feel like that, no.”
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