The WTA Finals, the pinnacle event of the women’s tennis calendar, will have a new destination for the next three years: Saudi Arabia. The Women’s Tennis Association announced on Thursday that the capital city of Riyadh will be the stage for the competition between the top eight singles and doubles teams from November 2-9 this year, and again in 2025 and 2026.
The announcement was accompanied by substantial news – prize money would rise to $15.25m, which marks a 70% surge from 2023. WTA’s CEO, Steve Simon, characterised the development as a noteworthy stride forward for the growth of the sport and extolled it as an exhilarating prospect. He believes it holds the promise of turning tennis into a more expansive and inclusive sport.
Tunisian pro Ons Jabeur endorses the shift, emphasising on the country’s progressive transition. Acknowledging the potential controversy, Jabeur advocates for providing an opportunity to ambitious local female athletes and voiced her readiness to compete in Saudi.
Simultaneously, tennis greats including Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have voiced concerns over the event’s location, primarily on the grounds of women’s rights and LGBTQ+ issues. Saudi Arabia’s continuing pursuit of social reformation, such as allowing women to drive and eliminating male guardianship laws, does little to curb these concerns.
Evert and Navratilova recently expressed their viewpoint in a public piece warning WTA about the perils of ‘sportswashing’. They speculated if the new tournament would be a ploy to launder the kingdom’s image through a large financial investment. The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, responded to these criticisms, stating the athletes were basing their arguments on dated stereotypes.
Despite the criticism, WTA remains hopeful to generate an impact on gender equality, revealing their plans to introduce tennis to nearly 60,000 Saudi children by 2024. HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, the Minister of Sport, frames this moment as of defining importance.
Where the Finals would take place had been a topic of discussion, given the interruption of the Corona Virus pandemic to the original plan, to host it in Shenzhen, China through to 2030. European, North American, and Asian countries were potential hosts before Saudi Arabia secured the bid.
Saudi Arabia’s interest in tennis is already on display with the ATP Tour’s finals for top players under 21 in Jeddah and a partnership with men’s rankings title sponsor, the Private Investment Fund. Rafael Nadal, 22-time Grand Slam champion, has also endorsed the Saudi Tennis Federation and will participate alongside Novak Djokovic and upcoming talents, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, in an exhibition tournament in Riyadh in October.
Hoping to level out the gender wage gap, WTA has pledged to equalise the earnings of men and women players. The enhancement in the Finals prize money comes in steps towards that goal. November 2024’s reward of $15.25 million already outpacing last year’s pot of $9 million. And Saudi Arabia may be extending its bid, with deliberations on staging a Masters 1000 tournament on the table. The future indeed looks bright for tennis in Saudi Arabia.
