WTA Finals 2023 not being held in Saudi Arabia is a "disguised blessing" in light of Israel-Palestine conflict, says tennis journalist

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim recently praised the WTA's decision to not organize the 2023 WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.

The American, who is a regular figure in the tennis universe, recently took on a variety of questions as part of his mailbag for Sports Illustrated on Wednesday (October 18). Towards the end of the column, he expressed some of his views concerning Israel's invasion of Gaza.

One of his hot takes happened to be the decision of the women's governing body to hold the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.

Wertheim asserted that the WTA's move to shun Saudi Arabia came as "a disguised blessing" after persistent rumors of Saudi Arabia being considered as a potential location for the tournament nearly two months ago.

He also added that although the WTA Finals could potentially move to Saudi Arabia next year, the decision was an admirable one in light of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"Can we all agree … it’s a disguised blessing that the WTA is not holding its flagship event in Saudi Arabia later this month, as planned/hoped. While the WTA may soon announce that the WTA Finals will be held in Saudi for 2024 to ’26, world events will not allow for the significance and symbolism of this decision to be easily minimized," he wrote.

Wertheim had also lauded the WTA on his social media account in September regarding the same subject.

"We all agree the timing is sub-optimal…But it ought to be acknowledged that the Women's Tennis Association had a more lucrative offer on the table, and ultimately had the moral courage to at least hit the “pause” button….," Wertheim wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle back then.

The WTA Finals was previously held in China, but Peng Shuai's disappearance forced the women's organization to change their year-end tournament's location

China's Peng Shuai went AWOL after accusing accusing a former government official of sexual assault

In 2018, the WTA signed a 10-year deal to hold its year-end championship in the city of Shenzhen, China. At the time, the women's governing body viewed the country as a crucial market for their product.

The contract was broken just after two years though, owing to rising concerns about the wellbeing of Peng Shuai, who disappeared from the public radar after accusing a former government official of sexual assault.

The women's governing body boycotted China in 2021-22, organizing the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, USA instead (the 2020 edition of the year-end tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This year, however, they have made a return to the country for the indoor hardcourt season.