Paula Badosa has officially joined the growing list of tennis stars cashing in on Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing campaign. Following Rafael Nadal’s controversial lead, the Spaniard announced her new role as ambassador for the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — cloaked in the familiar PR language of “empowering the next generation” and “advancing tennis.”
Let’s be honest: this is not about empowerment. It’s about money.
Following the Money, Not the Values
Badosa’s statement that she “shares the same values” as the PIF is as hollow as it is insulting to fans who know better. Saudi Arabia’s multi-billion-dollar push into global sport has never been about grassroots development or gender equality — it’s about buying legitimacy. Players like Badosa lend their names and reputations to that project in exchange for staggering sums of money.
And the timing is particularly galling. Badosa has long been one of the WTA’s most fragile competitors, her career marred by injuries and retirements — 37 in total, the latest one cutting short her run at the China Open. Yet while she struggles to stay fit enough to compete, she has no issue flying the flag for a regime that views sport as a convenient billboard.
A Sport Up for Sale
Saudi Arabia’s fingerprints are already all over tennis: Nadal as ambassador, the record-shattering “Six Kings Slam” exhibition, the relocation of the WTA Finals to Riyadh, and looming ambitions for a January Masters 1000. These are not investments in tennis, but purchases of influence — and players like Badosa are more than willing to sell.
Yes, there are perks — PIF has floated the idea of a fund to support female players during maternity leave — but these token gestures can’t disguise the reality. It’s a transactional relationship: players provide credibility; Saudi Arabia provides cash.
What Legacy Will Be Left?
For Badosa, this may be her most lucrative deal yet. But the cost is reputational. Instead of being remembered as a resilient player who fought back from injury, she risks being seen as another athlete who cashed in while looking the other way.
WTA Tennis fans are not blind. They can see who is choosing legacy and who is choosing the paycheck. Paula Badosa has made her choice. And like Nadal before her, it wasn’t for the love of the game.