Cameron Norrie signs up for Saudi Arabia event, joining Daniil Medvedev & Alexander Zverev
- Published
Norrie is ranked 14th in the world and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier this year
British men's number one Cameron Norrie will compete at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia next month.
Others players competing include former world number one Daniil Medvedev and Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.
Twelve players will compete at the competition, which takes place between 8-10 December and offers total prize money of $3m (£2.63m).
The exhibition event takes place at a time when Saudi Arabia's record on human rights remains under scrutiny.
The Gulf kingdom is one of the states accused of using high-profile events to 'sportswash' its reputation in other parts of the world.
Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Stan Wawrinka, 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem and Russian world number seven Andrey Rublev have also signed up to play.
Amnesty International, one of world's biggest human rights organisations, says players should realise they are "effectively being hired to take part in the latest jamboree of Saudi sportswashing".
A 2021 report by human rights organisation Grant Liberty, external said Saudi Arabia had spent upwards of $1.5bn (£1.32bn) to bring international sport to the country.
Boxing, Formula 1 and golf have all been criticised for holding events in the country in recent years.
"With Saudi Arabia currently throwing sizeable bundles of money at everything from golf and Grand Prix, to boxing and football, it's really important that top sporting figures use their high profiles to speak out about Saudi human rights abuses," Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK's head of priority campaigns and individuals at risk, said.
"We'd like to see any player who agrees to compete in Diriyah refusing to be passively used for sportswashing by speaking out on human right issues."
Norrie, who is ranked 14th in the world, said he is "not a politician".
"I don't feel it's right for me to get involved with individual government politics," said the 27-year-old."My job is to be a professional tennis player and this event in Saudi allows me to train with some of the best players in the world and to potentially win the Australian Open."
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