Sinner Triumphs over Alcaraz in a Noteworthy Match
In a face-off between the winners of the four major titles of the season, Sinner emerged victorious against Alcaraz. Sinner, the higher-ranked player, who had lost all three of their encounters this season, received 5.5 million euros for this triumph.
“Every match so far has been really, really good, but we always hope that this rivalry will last as long as possible,” Sinner remarked.
Alcaraz had defeated the Italian on October 2nd to claim the Open de Chine title in Beijing, along with reaching the semi-finals of Roland-Garros and Indian Wells. The Spaniard leads 6-4 in their head-to-head on the circuit.
“I will strive to do my best every day to ensure that this rivalry improves over the years,” Alcaraz stated.
In the previous round of the exhibition event, Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Sinner overcame Djokovic, where money is awarded instead of ATP ranking points in Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into the tennis scene.
Is Saudi Arabia Engaged in “Sportswashing”?
After hosting numerous major international competitions, Saudi Arabia is speculated to be engaging in “sportswashing”, which refers to attempts by countries to garner positive global media coverage in order to enhance their reputation.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has implemented extensive social reforms, including granting women the right to drive and largely dismantling laws on male guardianship that previously allowed husbands and male relatives to control many aspects of women’s lives. While men and women are still required to dress modestly, the rules have been relaxed, and the once-feared religious police have been sidelined. Gender segregation in public spaces has also been eased, with men and women now able to attend movie screenings, concerts, and even raves, which were unimaginable a few years ago.
However, same-sex relations are punishable by death or flogging, although prosecutions are rare. Authorities prohibit any form of LGBTQ+ advocacy, going as far as confiscating toys and clothing with rainbow colors.
Since the beginning of the year, over 200 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia, according to Human Rights Watch.
Partly due to social media, women in Saudi Arabia, and across the Arab world, are aware of the stark contrast between their lives and those of women in less restrictive societies. Yet, Saudi women seeking a semblance of freedom have faced consequences.
While the government has implemented top-down reforms, it has severely cracked down on any form of political dissent, arresting women’s rights activists and other critics and sentencing them to long prison terms and travel bans, sometimes based on a few tweets.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been striving to emerge from international isolation since the 2018 assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He also clearly aims to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.
What remains unclear is to what extent a specific sports deal could influence the kingdom’s approaches to women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.