Tennis champion and equality advocate Billie Jean King said she’s “glad” the WTA finals will take place in Cancún, Mexico, instead of the Middle East.
“I’m glad they’re not going to Saudi Arabia right now because Saudi Arabia for women is really difficult,” King shared during Cadillac’s Champions of Equality panel with Christiane Amanpour, Venus Williams and Telva McGruder at the US Open on Thursday.
King, 79, said the “young people” of Saudi Arabia are fighting for change, but she believes female athletes shouldn’t play there unless there are improvements to women’s rights.
“We probably need some guarantees of change or we shouldn’t go,” King said.
“I would personally like to help people there, particularly women.”
The famed athlete, who fought and won for equal prize money at the U.S. Open 50 years ago, acknowledged that women can “finally” drive now, but noted there needs to be greater changes for them and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I think there’s a yearning in the hearts and minds of the people for change, and if we could be an influencer in that to be more positive then I think we should go for it,” she said, “but if we cannot then I think we have to sit down and seriously talk about it.”
King, who presented the first official U.S. Open Billie Jean King Champion of Equality Award to Williams, admitted she didn’t know if it was “possible” to create positive change, but encouraged people to “engage” in discussions.
The WTA announced Thursday that the 2023 Finals would take place in Cancún from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5 under a one-year agreement, ending all speculation that the tournament would be held in Saudi Arabia after the men’s ATP Tour announced it would take place in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027.
“This edition of the WTA Finals will provide a fantastic experience for players and fans alike, offer a fitting finale for the 2023 WTA Tour, and enable us to continue building a strong future for women’s tennis,” said Steve Simon, WTA chairman and CEO.
