Former Grand Slam champions Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova said the move of the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia is a “step backwards” for women’s tennis.

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’.

The country has recently invested heavily in golf, Formula 1, football and boxing.

The state is under intense international scrutiny, with critics emphasizing that women’s rights are still limited and homosexuality is illegal.

The WTA Finals is the first major tour-level event to be held in Saudi Arabia.

WTA chief executive Portia Archer said the organization was “comfortable” with its decision to host the event in Saudi Arabia.

“We often play in environments and countries that have different customs, different cultures and in some cases different value systems than I or the WTA,” she said.

“We ensure that we respect those local customs. We may not always agree with the policies in force in a particular country.”

On the media day of the tournament, all players were asked about their participation in the country.

World number three Gauff said she had some reservations.

“First of all, for the LGBTQ+ community, for me it’s always a community that I’m going to fight for. I hear your concerns,” she said.

“I really feel that to bring about change, you have to start little by little. That’s what I learned growing up black in America and knowing our history.

“If we shied away from it then, where would we be now? The same message goes to women.

“Obviously I’m a woman. I was very concerned. My father was very concerned about me coming here.”

The top-ranked Sabalenka said it was “important to bring tennis to the whole world”.

“The effort they put into women’s sports here is incredible. I’m really impressed,” she said.

“I’m really happy to be here and be part of, I would say, some kind of history here.”