"Really weird"- Martina Navratilova questions "not ever seeing the crowd" during WTA Finals broadcast after initially opposing event's shift to Riyadh

Martina Navratilova recently questioned the lack of focus on the crowds attending the ongoing 2024 WTA Finals during the prestigious year-end event's broadcast. The tournament is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time. Navratilova has been vocal in her opposition to the event's move to the Arab nation.

In 2023, rumors surfaced that the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) was considering signing a multi-year deal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which would see the WTA Finals move to Riyadh. The rumors gained steam as time passed, and former World No. 1 Navratilova was quick to voice her objection against the possibility.

Alongside former rival and present-day close friend Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova suggested that the WTA should shun Saudi Arabia because of question marks over the country's human and women's rights records. The duo also penned a letter urging the WTA to reconsider the potential move. Ultimately though, Evert and Navratilova's pleas fell on deaf ears.

The deal eventually went through, with Riyadh chosen to become the WTA Finals host city from 2024 to 2026. On Sunday, November 3, Martina Navratilova took to X (formerly Twitter) and questioned why the broadcast of the ongoing 2024 WTA Finals is not focusing on the crowds attending the matches.

"Finding it really weird not ever seeing the crowd when showing matches- not during the match and not at all after the match. Just odd….#WTAFinalsRiyadh," Navratilova wrote.

Earlier this year, soon after Evert and Navratilova's scathing letter was made public, a Saudi ambassador raised her voice against the tennis legends.

"Undermines women" - Saudi ambassador's response to Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's letter

Martina Navratilova (L) and Chris Evert (R) (Source: Getty)

Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, clapped back at Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in the aftermath of the legendary rivals' letter going public. According to the ambassador, Evert and Navratilova's collective stance was not helpful in terms of helping women and women's sports progress in the Middle Eastern Arab nation.

"Failing to acknowledge the great progress women have made in Saudi Arabia denigrates our remarkable journey. This not only undermines the progress of women in sports, it sadly undermines women, progress as a whole. 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," Princess Reema said via a statement.

The 2024 WTA Finals has so far seen two days of play, during which Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek have emerged victorious in their respective group stage matches.