RIYADH — Coco Gauff has said that she “probably wouldn’t come back” to Saudi Arabia for tennis events if she feels that change is not happening in the country.
Gauff, the world No. 3, is one of eight players in Riyadh for the WTA Tour Finals, which is taking place in Saudi for the first time.
It will remain there in 2025 and 2026 as well, but Gauff said she would consider not returning if progress discussed in calls with the WTA Tour and Saudi ambassador to the U.S. ahead of the inaugural event does not happen.
“I want to see it for myself, see if the change is happening,” she said, adding that so far she’d been encouraged by the progress she’d seen.
“If I felt uncomfortable or felt like nothing’s happening, then maybe I probably wouldn’t come back.”
Gauff, 20, spoke in depth about her position on playing in the country, including references to the experience of the Black community in America.
“I really do feel like in order to ignite change, you have to start little by little. That’s how I’ve been taught growing up Black in America, knowing our history,” she said.
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Gauff aligned with American tennis legend Billie Jean King’s view on the deal to host the Tour Finals in the kingdom — that to effect change, engagement is required. Fellow stateswomen of the sport Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert take a different view, suggesting that sufficient strides have not yet been made to award Saudi Arabia the respectability and worldwide attention that comes with the marquee event in women’s tennis.
Gauff joined fellow American Jessica Pegula in focusing on the community engagement and tennis programmes attached to the event, and the Saudi Tennis Association’s stated goal of having one million people playing in the country by 2030.
“I do think that sport can have a way to open doors to people,” she said.
I think in order to kind of want change, you have to see it. I think sports for me, I would say is the easiest way to kind of introduce that.”
Pegula said: “Even though I know it’s not perfect for everyone involved, I think when you have women coming up to you and telling you girls are starting to play tennis now, opening it up, that’s really cool.”
Coco Gauff opens her campaign in Riyadh on Sunday November 3. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
But she added that: “I would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations. You know who I am and the things I speak about.
“I was on every player call I could make with the WTA. One of the things I said: ‘If we come here, we can’t just come here and play our tournament and leave. We have to have a real programme or real plan in place.’
“I’m also very aware that we’re not going to come here and just change everything … From the past: my grandmother, integrating her school, people aren’t going to like it, but in the long run I think it could be better for everybody.”
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Gauff added: “I can only trust what I’m being told. Obviously, I don’t live here, so I can only trust what people are telling me that live here.”
Saudi Arabia ranks 126th out of 146 in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, and Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have attacked the country’s record on freedom of expression, including the criminalization of homosexuality and the ‘Personal Status Law,’ which requires women to obtain a male guardian’s permission to marry.
Gauff spoke directly to concerns from the LGBTQ+ community in her news conference.
“For the LGBTQ+ community, for me it’s always a community I’m going to fight for. I have family, friends a who are a part of this community. You’re seen and you’re heard. I hear your concerns.”
Gauff was also asked about the forthcoming American election on November 5 and said it was “definitely on my mind.” She said that she didn’t think it would affect her while playing, but that Election Day “will be a very anxious day.” Gauff also urged people to vote.
“I think it’s a tough time for our country, a crucial time for our country right now. All I can do is encourage people, especially young people, to vote and use their voice.
“Especially in my generation, I think there’s a lot of people who don’t see the power of voting. For me, I do. I can only hope my message influences some people. Obviously there’s much bigger celebrities who are trying to do the groundwork.”
Gauff’s fellow flagbearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron James, endorsed Democrat candidate Kamala Harris in a video posted to X on Thursday.
Gauff’s comments followed WTA chief executive Portia Archer’s defense of the organization’s decision to host the finals in Saudi Arabia, in which she backtracked and said she misspoke after suggesting that countries hosting WTA tournaments need not align with its values. The WTA signed a three-year-deal for the Tour Finals with the Saudi Tennis Federation in April this year.
Gauff opens her campaign at this year’s event against compatriot Pegula on Sunday. They are in the same group as world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and world No. 13 Barbora Krejcikova, who qualified by dint of winning Wimbledon.
(Top photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images for WTA)