LONDON (AP) — Like other sports, women's tennis is looking into the possibility of getting into
business with Saudi Arabia. And while holding a tournament there is not imminent,
WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Friday that he visited that country with some players in February as part of the evaluation process.
"It's a very difficult and very challenging topic that's being, obviously, measured by many, many different groups right now," Simon said at an event in London to mark the
50th anniversary of the meeting that led to the founding of the WTA.
He acknowledged there "are still tons of issues in Saudi Arabia" with regard to women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
"I think where we are right now (is): We've had conversations. We'll continue to have conversations," Simon said.
Simon's comments came a few days after the St. Petersburg, Florida-based WTA announced it was setting up a "pathway to equal prize money" so women earn the same as men at certain tournaments by 2027 and others by 2033. Simon said Tuesday additional money would come from incremental boosts by the events themselves and from revenue projected to arrive from broadcast, data and sponsorship rights via WTA Ventures, the tour's commercial enterprise that launched in March.
