“Maybe they’re seeing something that rest of the earth isn’t”

Andy Roddick recently shared his thoughts on Rafael Nadal and Billie Jean King’s endorsement of Saudi Arabia’s interest in tennis.

Reports suggest the WTA Finals could be relocated to Saudi Arabia, and there have also been discussions between the country and the ATP tour about potential investments. The rumors of the WTA Finals venue being in Saudi gained prominence following the hosting of the ATP NextGen Finals in Jeddah last year.

In the latest episode of the Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, Roddick expressed his concerns about the current state of the women’s year-end tournament. He highlighted the issues that arose after the WTA decided to withdraw from hosting the event in China due to safety concerns surrounding Chinese player Peng Shuai.

Roddick said the WTA is doing a “disservice” to the women players by displaying a lack of leadership and leaving the tournament unorganized until the eleventh hour.

“The WTA Finals since they took that stance against China have been a dumpster fire. They put it on at the last minute in Dallas a couple years ago. They’re doing a disservice to the product that these women are putting out by being unorganized, maybe unorganized is an unfair term—but by being reactionary and waiting till the last minute,” Andy Roddick said (at 26:58).

“The Finals have been underrepresented on a global scale for the last couple of years. It’s gone about as badly as it could go as far as putting together an organized, cohesive event that is a celebration of the kind of best of the year,” he added.

Andy Roddick then discussed the support shown by tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Billie Jean King towards Saudi Arabia’s interest in the tennis scene. Earlier this year, Nadal was appointed as the ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, while King has agreed to engage in discussions with the Kingdom regarding potential investments in the sport.

Roddick said that if the support provided by Nadal and King yields positive results for the WTA, all those who have criticized them will be forced to retract their words and acknowledge their impact.

“If, five years from now, Rafa and Billie Jean King all of a sudden pull this off and things do change, everyone who’s against it has to eat crow a little bit. We do need to have an open mind towards a result that is different from what we suspect or anticipate if it does happen,” he said.

The former US Open champion expressed that Rafael Nadal and Billie Jean King must have recognized some potential in Saudis to lend them their support.

“I can’t think of two more reputable, credible, and talented spokespeople for the game. So maybe they’re seeing something that you know the rest of the earth isn’t, and maybe they can affect it, but I’m afraid that we won’t know that until it’s too late, and it’s hard to say that I hope their eyes are wide open,” Andy Roddick added.

Andy Roddick:…