I hope people will stop believing that women are mistreated there," says Townsend about Saudi Arabia and the country's growing presence in tennis

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Jules Hypolite

le 08/08/2025 à 19h43

2 min to read

Townsend

Little by little, Saudi Arabia aims to establish itself as one of the new strongholds of tennis.

Last year, the Middle Eastern country hosted its first-ever women's competition with the WTA Finals, which will remain in Riyadh, the capital, until 2027. This year, it is the PIF (Saudi Public Investment Fund), which already sponsors the ATP rankings, that has decided to invest in creating a maternity leave policy on the WTA tour.

It is in this context that Taylor Townsend, the world No. 1 in doubles, was questioned by the media outlet Clay about Saudi Arabia and her perception of the country's investments in tennis:

"It's a misconception. I went to Riyadh, and it was one of the best experiences I've had. The WTA Finals were incredible, one of the best tournaments I’ve played. I hope people will stop believing that women are mistreated there, because they are not.

I spent almost six weeks straight in the Middle East. I didn’t experience or observe anything negative, not even once. The narrative pushed by propaganda media about how women are treated… It doesn’t match at all what I saw.

I think their investment shows that they value women. To me, it’s a step forward. I understand it’s difficult because it’s not our culture, but from what I saw, women were valued and respected in that culture and community.

It’s just another way of living, not worse or bad, just different. And if we can secure funding from organizations that help us move forward, I think that’s a good thing.