Daria Kasatkina, previously wary of tennis in Saudi Arabia, will play as an alternate in the Riyadh Tour Finals

Daria Kasatkina, who has previously expressed her concerns about competing in Saudi Arabia as an openly gay tennis player, will attend the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Thursday.

Russian world number 9 Kasatkina is at the event as an alternate, replacing Jessica Pegula of the United States, who withdrew from her last round-robin match against Iga Swiatek with a left knee injury. Pegula, who reached the US Open final this year, was already eliminated after losing her first two group stage matches to Barbora Krejcikova and Coco Gauff respectively.

Speaking at a press conference at Wimbledon 2023, Kasatkina said there were “a lot of problems in this country” regarding Saudi Arabia. “It’s easier for the men because they feel quite good there, let’s say. We don’t feel the same about it,” she added.

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, and the WTA has been organizing events for more than two decades in countries such as Qatar and Dubai, where homosexuality is also illegal.

After the WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) announced their three-year deal for the event, Kasatkina told BBC Sport in April that she had “received guarantees that I would be fine.

“As long as it gives the people there, and the young kids and the women, an opportunity to actually see the sport – so they can watch it, they can play it, they can participate in it, I think it’s great.”

Kasatkina’s vision aligns with LGBTQ+ and tennis icon Billie Jean King, who was influential in the founding of the WTA Tour. She championed the final, which took place in Riyadh, despite its record on women’s human rights and the criminalization of homosexuality.

“I’m a big believer in engagement – ​​I don’t think you change unless you’re involved,” King said at a 2023 WTA anniversary event.

However, Martina Navratilova told The Athletics earlier this year that “bigger changes need to happen before we go there. I can’t go out there and announce that I’m gay. People say, well, just behave. But what does that mean?”

Kasatkina will face Swiatek as the latter attempts to qualify for the semi-finals. He needs a win against the Russian and Gauff needs to beat Krejcikova. Pegula, who said at a news conference on Wednesday that she was “struggling a little bit with an injury” that flared up in Riyadh, has also withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup final, which starts on November 13.