SAUDI ARABIA’S ambassador to the United States has called comments from Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert over concerns around potentially hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh “outdated stereotypes and Western-centric views of our culture.”

It has been suggested Saudi Arabia — which continues to come under the spotlight for human rights violations — could be in line to stage the WTA’s showpiece event, which were held in Cancun in Mexico last year.

In a comment piece for the Washington Post, Navratilova and Evert said taking the WTA’s season-ending tournament to Saudi Arabia would be a “significant step backward to the detriment not just of women’s sport, but women.”