Talk About Tennis 2.0

The headline says it all but it's always good to read an entire article to see how deep the poop is.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert accused of 'turning backs on women' by Saudi ambassador

Reuters
Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud is also a member of Saudi Arabia's Olympic Committee and an International Olympic Committee board member

Tennis greats Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert have "turned their backs on women" by opposing plans to stage women's events in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's ambassador to the United States has claimed.

Last week, the pair wrote an opinion piece outlining their opposition to hosting the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.

The WTA is considering moving the season-ending tournament to Riyadh.

Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud said their view was "beyond disappointing".

Navratilova, 67, and Evert, 69, each won 18 Grand Slam singles titles between 1974 and 1991.

Their opinion column in The Washington Post last week was headlined: 'We did not help build women's tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia'.

In it they said moving the "crown jewel" women's event to Saudi Arabia was "incompatible with the spirit and purpose of women's tennis and the WTA itself" and was a "significant regression".

"Not only is this a country where women are not seen as equal, it is a country where the current landscape includes a male guardianship law that essentially makes women the property of men. A country which criminalises 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," they wrote.

But in a statement issued on Tuesday, Princess Reema - who is also a member of Saudi Arabia's Olympic Committee and an International Olympic Committee board member - said they had "turned their back on the very same women they have inspired and it is beyond disappointing".

She did not address the pair's criticism of laws which criminalise the LGBTQ community.

Al-Saud said the pair should "get your facts straight" on matters of Saudi law affecting women and said their arguments were "based on outdated stereotypes and western-centric views of our culture".

She added: "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."

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur - an icon in the Arab world, and the runner-up at Wimbledon for each of the past two years - said in August she would be "very excited" if the WTA Finals were to be held in Saudi Arabia.

But critics of Saudi Arabia have accused the oil-rich kingdom of using its wealth to invest in sports in a bid to improve its image - known as 'sportswashing'.

It follows recent heavy investment in golf, Formula 1, football and boxing in particular.

Campaigning organisations remain critical of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights and equality.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/68142028

ti-amie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:40 pm The headline says it all but it's always good to read an entire article to see how deep the poop is.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert accused of 'turning backs on women' by Saudi ambassador

Reuters
Princess Reema bint Bandar al-Saud is also a member of Saudi Arabia's Olympic Committee and an International Olympic Committee board member

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/68142028

That takes a lot of nerve given her position, and the privileges the House of Saud enjoys.

I tried to read it as objectively as possible.

With true objectivity, it would be reasonably convincing.

With even a modicum of knowledge, you end up covered in poop (to quote Ti-Amie)

I suppose, to a Saudi princess, the notion that women should be equal to men, and free to live the way they want to, is indeed a stereotypical western view..but caling it names, as she is doing, doesn't make it less universally true?!

The interesting question, which I don't know the answer to..is it more useful and effective to engage with the evildoer or to boycott them?

there is also the principle that it is not always possible to calculate the consequences of one's actions, but it is always possible to do what is right..so 'useful and effective' may not be a good way to think about it?

“We hardly persecute and kill anyone these days!”

"She did not address the pair's criticism of laws which criminalise the LGBTQ community."

If she did, she would either have to tell the truth or lie, neither of which falls into the PR message they're trying to get out. The western ideas of how women are treated in SA are only formed by the way women are treated in SA.

Owendonovan wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:59 am "She did not address the pair's criticism of laws which criminalise the LGBTQ community."

If she did, she would either have to tell the truth or lie, neither of which falls into the PR message they're trying to get out. The western ideas of how women are treated in SA are only formed by the way women are treated in SA.

I guess she probably has a driver or two so she doesn't get why women are annoyed about having to have a male relative take them everywhere.

She also has quite a bit of hair showing in that picture.

So they're going after Sinner in Italy...




rockardy
edited 13 hr. ago
Doesn’t Federer also live in some elite Swiss town instead of Basel because it’s a tax haven?

Do any of the top tennis players pay tax?

Edit: apparently nearly everyone but Rafa (who lives and pays tax in Mallorca), lives in Monte Carlo, Switzerland, Dubai or the Bahamas tax havens

https://mytennishq.com/why-do-tennis-pl ... nte-carlo/

Novak Djokovic – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Stefanos Tsisipas – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Daniil Medvedev: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Alexander Zverev – Monte Carlo Monaco,

Matteo Berretini – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Gael Monfils – Switzerland

David Goffin – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Stan Wawrinka – Monte Carlo, Monaco,

Karen Kachanov – Dubai, UAE

Alex de Minaur – New Providence, Bahamas

Grigor Dimitrov – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Feliz Auger Aliassime – Monte Carlo, Monaco

Denis Shapovalov – Nassau, Bahamas

Lucas Pouille – Dubai, UAE

Benoit Paire – Geneva, Switzerland

Borna Coric – Dubai, UAE

Nick Kyrgios – Nassau, Bahamas

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga – Gingis, Switzerland

Milos Raonic – Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Stop the presses!!! Rich people find ways to avoid paying taxes in home countries!!!
I am shocked! Shocked!

ti-amie wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:35 pm

That's depressing. Not because it's her specifically, but because this is yet another example of what goes on online. And, for the record, I'm all for the naming-and-shaming of people who do this. Shame on them.

I bet a few of those folks lost the bets they wagered not even knowing who Linda Noskova is. I work with a gambler who has discovered the myriad wagers you can place, so I get asked about players often from him.

Get.
Off.
Social.
Media.
Linda.
(Come join TAT2.0. We will love you)