How are Saudi Arabia's WTA Finals unfolding?

Despite being the youngest singles subordinate astatine the WTA Finals, Coco Gauff is nary alien to discussing challenging subjects.

Unsurprisingly for many, she was the subordinate who spoke astir extensively astir quality rights successful Saudi Arabia, with the state hosting a large women's athletics lawsuit for the archetypal time.

Gauff said she had had reservations astir playing successful the kingdom but agreed to spell up and compete, believing "you person to commencement small by little" for alteration to happen.

She was insistent, though, that determination had to beryllium a "real program successful place".

Gauff is - astatine slightest for present - consenting to spot her spot successful promises from the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) that the woody for Riyadh to big the prestigious end-of-season lawsuit for the apical 8 women successful singles and doubles tin beryllium a unit for good.

But it has raised caller scrutiny astir motives and money.

All the players seemed upbeat astir the facilities and wide presumption of the finals astatine the King Saud University. No disbursal has been spared astatine a tourney that offers a grounds $15.25m (£12.04m) successful prize money.

On site, the players person idiosyncratic dressing rooms, alongside a spa, quality salon and a intelligence wellness office. Photographs of players adorn the walls and for the authoritative photoshoot they were individually styled, wearing a fig of high-profile designers.

"The venue looks amazing," satellite fig 2 Iga Swiatek said.

"It's my 4th WTA Finals truthful I tin benignant of compare. For present we didn't person immoderate problems. It's each beauteous smooth."

Last year’s tourney successful Cancun, Mexico was described arsenic shambolic, with the venue lone finished days earlier the tourney began.

World fig 1 Aryna Sabalenka felt "disrespected" 12 months agone but, asked for her archetypal impressions of this year's tournament, said: "I'm truly blessed to beryllium here.

"Such a beauteous place. Everything looks truly good."

Homosexuality is amerciable successful Saudi Arabia, portion Amnesty International has cited the country’s "jailing of women's rights activists, suppression of escaped code and rampant usage of the decease penalty".

BBC Sport asked each 8 singles players the aforesaid question: "Did you personally person immoderate reservations oregon concerns astir coming present fixed the grounds connected quality rights, peculiarly astir women's rights and the LGBTQ+ community?"

The responses were varied, though determination was the consciousness that players felt escaped to talk without fearfulness of repercussions. Many said they hoped they could assistance bring astir change.

Several referenced calls that had taken spot betwixt players and the WTA, with Jessica Pegula – a subordinate of the WTA's subordinate assembly - saying determination was "a batch of statement backmost and forth".

Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini each suggested showcasing top-level women’s athletics could beryllium a bully illustration wrong Saudi Arabia.

Swiatek said she was trying to "observe and larn however everything works", portion Sabalenka said: "I saw everything present is rather chill.

"Me personally, I don't person immoderate issues playing here. I deliberation it's truly important to bring tennis each astir the satellite and animate [the] young generation."

Gauff's effect drew connected her family's acquisition of the determination distant from radical segregation successful the United States.

"Knowing from the past from my grandmother, integrating her school, radical aren't going to similar it, but successful the agelong tally I deliberation it could beryllium amended for everybody," she said.

But the 20-year-old added: "If I felt uncomfortable oregon felt similar nothing's happening, past possibly I astir apt wouldn't travel back."

The STF's ambition is to get 1 cardinal radical engaged successful tennis by 2030 – meaning everything from playing to administration.

It says determination are presently 177 clubs and 14,000 women actively playing tennis, with STF president Arij Mutabagani hopeful of expanding that.

"Having an lawsuit similar this and the collaboration with the WTA has immense worth that volition permission a bequest for the country," she said.

"This volition decidedly amended women's chances of getting into the athletics they love."

Crowds successful the 5,000-capacity stadium were beardown for the tournament's archetypal lucifer betwixt Sabalenka and Zheng, with cheapest tickets astir £6 successful section currency. However, determination was a noticeably little turnout for Swiatek's lucifer against Barbora Krejcikova connected Sunday – the time the moving week begins.

The tourney struggled antecedently successful Cancun and Texas successful 2022 to pull crowds, with erstwhile British men's fig 1 Tim Henman describing this year's turnout arsenic "disappointing and frustrating".

The WTA had planned to springiness media a regular attendance fig but volition present springiness an wide fig astatine the extremity of the week. The circuit officials are optimistic of gathering the instrumentality basal implicit the adjacent 3 years – but they anticipated determination would beryllium learnings from this year.

Despite archetypal reservations astir moving successful the country, Judy Murray has taken connected a relation arsenic a WTA ambassador successful Saudi Arabia, focusing connected gathering a workforce to thatch starter tennis successful schools.

"This is simply a monolithic accidental to beryllium a catalyst for alteration for women's athletics and for tennis to beryllium that catalyst," she said.

"We are starting to marque progress, and by the extremity of twelvemonth three, I anticipation we'll beryllium successful a precise antithetic position."

Players person done grooming clinics with young girls, portion locals spoke astir 'vision 2030' and what the state hopes to execute successful the adjacent fewer years.

Fifteen-year-old Zaina, grooming connected the aforesaid courts arsenic her idols arsenic portion of the Future Stars Camp, said: "We ne'er truly had these kinds of tournaments and events successful Saudi, truthful for them to yet travel is life-changing."

By demonstrating a committedness to hosting women's sport, the WTA Finals woody could besides boost Saudi Arabia's chances erstwhile bidding for aboriginal sports events.

There person been reforms successful Saudi Arabia – the prohibition connected women driving, for example, was officially lifted successful 2018 – but quality rights issues remain.

The WTA said it is "comfortable" successful its determination but legendary players Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert said taking the end-of-year lawsuit to Saudi was a "significant measurement backward" for women’s sport.

The determination has angered Fawzia al-Otaibi. Her sister, Manahel, is serving an 11-year situation condemnation successful Saudi Arabia implicit societal media posts supporting women's rights and photos showing her uncovered head.

"For me, it is sportswashing and arsenic for the radical promoting it, I spot them arsenic partners successful crime,” Fawzia said.

"I don't lone spot them arsenic getting paid wealth to beforehand athletics for Saudi Arabia - I spot them arsenic influencing girls to judge this publicity and autumn arsenic victims similar my sister."

Asked astir the country's suitability, the STF's Mutabagani said: "We are connected a translation journey, and we invitation anyone and everyone to travel and assistance america done this journey.

"I truly would emotion them to travel and spot for themselves. Seeing is believing."