The women's tennis tour will inevitably go to Saudi Arabia, American great Billie Jean King said as she urged the WTA to push for social change if they decide to stage a tournament in the Middle Eastern nation.

After the men's ATP Tour announced the Next Gen Finals would be held in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027, social media has been awash with rumours that the WTA Finals could also be headed to Saudi Arabia in the future.

WTA CEO Steve Simon previously said that the Gulf state presented "big issues" as a host for women's tour events, as Saudi Arabia's record on women's and LGBTQ rights has led to accusations of "sports-washing."

Saudi Arabia has pumped huge amounts of money into football, Formula One and boxing while the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit recently ended a two-year dispute with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by announcing a merger.

Asked if the WTA would stage a tournament in Saudi Arabia, King said: "I think they'll be there. The thing I'm concerned about is the women, I want change if we go.

"But I'm big on engagement and inclusion so it's a tough one. I know people are going to go there. The WTA played in Qatar in '08, we took tennis there and we still have a tournament there every year."

King stressed her desire to raise the profile of the Billie Jean King Cup, which will take place from Nov. 7-12 in Seville, Spain.