women’s tennis tour on Monday announced “a multi-year partnership” with the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund , emulating a deal made by the men’s tour in February.
“We look forward to sharing the journey of our talented players across the season, as we continue to grow the sport, creating more fans of tennis and inspiring more young people to take up the game,“ said Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, in the joint statement.“Through our partnership with WTA, PIF will continue to be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport,“ said Mohamed Alsayyad of PIF in the statement.
The article was headlined: “We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia”. That rebranding is central to the success of its Vision 2030 economic and social reform agenda, designed to prepare the world's biggest crude exporter for a prosperous post-oil future.Last year, the kingdom hosted its first ATP Tour event with the Next Gen Finals.