Rafael Nadal was skewered this week for inking an ambassadorship deal with Saudi Arabia’s tennis federation, with fans, journalists, and a human right’s activist accusing the Spanish icon of contributing to “relentless sportswashing.”
Nadal, 37, announced Monday that he’ll now promote Saudi Arabia via social media and visits to the kingdom, which plans to open a “Rafa Nadal Academy” for aspiring tennis players.
It’s unclear how much Nadal, who has raked in $135 million in prize money and tens of millions more in endorsements throughout his career, is being paid to promote Saudi Arabia, or for how long the partnership is to last.
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“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,” Nadal wrote in a statement. “I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”
Peter Frankental, the economic affairs director of Amnesty International UK, told The Telegraph that Saudi Arabia is using its vast oil riches to attract athletes and sporting events as the country seeks to distract from its egregious record of human rights violations against LGBTQ people and women.
“Rafa Nadal’s new role is just the latest chapter in Saudi Arabia’s relentless sportswashing operation,” he said. “From tennis to football, golf and boxing, the Saudi authorities have spent billions in their efforts to rebrand the country as a sporting superpower and deflect attention from an appalling human rights record.”
Frankental added that the Saudis, under the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, have “jailed dozens of peaceful activists, carried out record numbers of executions, and brazenly covered up the grisly murder of (The Washington Post journalist) Jamal Khashoggi.”
The activist urged Nadal to use his role to speak out about Saudi Arabia’s violations of human rights.
In Nadal’s announcement, which included a written statement and slick video of the Spaniard hosting a tennis camp in Saudi Arabia, he did not address the kingdom’s human rights’ issues.
Some fans indicated that they took issue with Nadal’s decision not just because he struck a sporting deal with the Saudis, which countless other athletes have done recently, but because he accepted a gig to do “active PR for the regime.”
Experts say the Saudis have recently invested heavily in tennis, soccer, and golf in an effort to rebrand the country as a sport, business, and tourist haven.
In addition to attracting some of the world’s biggest athletes, like the soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and golfer Jon Rahm, the kingdom has shown recent interest in shelling out billions to host some of the most high-profile sporting events.
That includes the World Cup in 2034, and may soon include tennis’ Miami Open and Madrid Open, rumors suggest. The American tennis star John McEnroe criticized athletes and federations for striking deals with Saudi Arabia, saying “it wouldn’t shock” him if the kingdom continued to shell out big bucks to attract events currently held elsewhere.
“Let’s put it this way: money talks,” he said at the Australian Open last week, referring to rumors Saudi Arabia may host the Women’s Tennis Association Finals. “‘Oh, no, I wouldn’t do that. How much was I offered? On second thought, maybe I will do that.’”
McEnroe said he disagrees with any athlete or federation that decides to accept money from Saudi Arabia.
“Personally, I disagree with it completely, with the golf and the tennis,” he said. “The ladies are going to play the WTA Finals there? Are you kidding me? Because they treat women so well? That part is to me laughable.”
