Martina Navratilova denies traveling to Saudi Arabia for WTA Finals 2024 as reported sentencing of women’s rights activist comes to light

Martina Navratilova recently denied planning to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2024 WTA Finals after the sentencing of a women's rights activist was reported in the Gulf nation.

As per The Guardian, Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness trainer, was imprisoned for 11 years by a Saudi counter-terrorism court in January this year on the charge of using websites to "broadcast or publish news, statements, false or malicious rumors, or the like for committing a terrorist crime".

The Saudi officials had notably accused al-Otaibi of advocating for the removal of male guardianship laws using the hashtag 'society is ready' (translated) on her social media accounts. She was arrested in November 2022.

Navratilova learned about al-Otaibi's sentencing on X (formerly Twitter) and registered her reaction to the development.

"Hmm," she wrote.

The WTA has inked a deal with the Saudi Tennis Federation to host the Year-end Championship, also known as the WTA Finals, in the capital city of Riyadh from 2024-2026.

Martina Navratilova, who has been covering tennis as an analyst and commentator since retiring in 2006, claimed that she won't be planning to travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual tournament after being asked by a fan on X.

"I hope you're not going there," the fan wondered.

"Nope. No plans for it at this time," Martina Navratilova replied.

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"Sports should not be used as a weapon to punish a society that is eager to embrace tennis" - Saudi delegate rebukes Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert for "personal bias"

Martina Navratilova (L) and Chris Evert

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert drew sharp criticism from Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, for their editorial titled 'We did not help build women's tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia' published in The Washington Post.

In the essay, Navratilova and Evert condemned WTA's move to take its marquee event, the WTA Finals, to Saudi Arabia despite the country's questionable measures on LGBTQ and women's rights. The two wrote:

"The WTA's values sit in stark contrast to those of the proposed host. Not only is this a country where women are not seen as equal.

"A country which criminalizes the LGBTQ community to the point of possible death sentences. A country whose long-term record on human rights and basic freedoms has been a matter of international concern for decades. Staging the WTA final there would represent not progress, but significant regression."

Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who's also involved with Riyadh's Olympic affairs, rebuked Navratilova and Evert and urged them to celebrate tennis' growth in the gulf nation.

"Sports should not be used as a weapon to advance personal bias or agendas or punish a society that is eager to embrace tennis and help celebrate and grow the sport," Al Saud said.