Daria Kasatkina insists she has been 'given guarantees' on safety of gay players in Saudi Arabia with WTA Finals to be staged in Riyadh this year

Daria Kasatkina claims she has been given guarantees over her safety should she compete in Saudi Arabia.

Kasatkina is one of the only openly gay players on the WTA Tour and has hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals in Riyadh in November. 

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia but Kasatkina has been assured she will face no trouble.

'I've been given guarantees that I'm going to be fine,' the world No 11 told BBC Sport when asked whether gay players should feel comfortable taking part.

Kasatkina has previously expressed concern about the matter at Wimbledon last summer, saying there 'were many issues concerning the country'.

However, the Russian appears to have changed her outlook as she spoke following her win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Madrid Open.

'If I qualify, it means that I am top eight in the world - it's great news for me,' she said.

'We see that the Saudis now are very into the sport, they want to develop the sport.

'And as long as it gives the opportunity to the people there, and the young kids and the women to actually see the sport - so that they can watch it, they can play it, they can participate in this, I think it's great.'

Saudi Tennis Federation president Arij Almutabagani has made it clear that gay players will not have to act any differently to how they do in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where WTA tournaments already take place.

'People can behave the way they want to - there is nothing that says you can or you cannot behave. You just have to understand that every country has its rules and traditions,' she said.

'It's the same thing that has happened in Dubai. How do they act in Dubai? We are the same, we are all neighbours. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE - how would the players behave there?'