Saudi Arabia took its first sanctioned step into professional tennis this week, and it is very unlikely to be the last.
The field at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah may not yet be household names, but both Saudi Arabia and the ATP Tour hope the kingdom will see plenty of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the years ahead.
And even more symbolically, given the subjugation faced by generations of Saudi women, the season-ending WTA Finals are soon expected to put down roots in the country.
“Like the Next Gen Finals, we would like to have the event for multiple years,” Saudi tennis president Arij Almutabagani, who in 2021 became the first woman elected to run one of the country’s sports federations, told BBC Sport.
“I would be lying if I tell you I would not love to have a huge event. We are building this relationship which we want to last for a long time where they help us develop tennis overall.
“Saudi Arabia has been in a certain way for so many years, and I think Europe went through the same thing.
“Give us our time to go through it. We are actually on gear number five right now so we are actually doing it very fast. It’s just that we need the time for the transition,” she said.
But for the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova, reform has not yet gone far enough for the WTA to embrace Saudi Arabia.
“I absolutely do not think so, not at this time,” she told BBC Sport.
“Do you know that old saying ‘Trust, but verify?’ With this it should be the other way around – verify, and then trust.
“There are still too many laws on the books where clearly women are not equal citizens to men in Saudi.
“Things have gotten better, no question about it, from what I read, but they still have a long way to go. I would like to see a few more meaningful changes before we say this is good enough for me.”
And what happens if Saudi Arabia is not granted its wish to stage a major event on either the ATP or WTA Tour? Would the country launch a rival tour in the image of LIV Golf, which has caused such bitter divisions in that sport?
“I think we have a good relationship with the ATP, with the WTA, and we are working closely together, and having our own events… I don’t think we have to do that,” Almutabagani said, before being asked whether she could rule it out.
“I cannot really answer yes or no very clearly on that. I think we are in a very good position with the tours and we are very positive about it. So we think…
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