The WTA Finals will be staged in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for the next three years after the governing body of the women’s game agreed a deal worth an initial $15.25m (£12m) in prize money.
The record purse eclipses both the $9m on offer at last year’s chaotic event in Cancún and the ill-fated $14m agreement struck with China in 2019. Prize money will increase annually over the duration of the deal, which came close to fruition last season before criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record led to a change of heart.
The good news is that arrangements for the WTA’s flagship event are now clear, avoiding the shambles that unfolded last autumn, when the tournament’s location was announced less than two months before the world’s top-eight singles players and doubles pairs were due to convene. In matching the prize money awarded at last season’s ATP Finals, the deal also addresses the financial disparity between the men’s and women’s season finales, which last year saw Iga Swiatek pocket roughly $1m less for her victory in Cancún than Novak Djokovic made for winning in Turin.
Whether those factors will allay criticism that the WTA is selling its soul for cash is another matter. Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport to redirect focus away from its human rights record and rehabilitate its international image. Concerns that women in the kingdom remain subject to discriminatory laws on what they can do, say and wear have been widely voiced, not least by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post earlier this year that taking the WTA’s flagship event to the Gulf kingdom “would represent a significant step backward, to the detriment not just of women’s sport, but women”.
The article prompted a strong response from the Saudi ambassador to the US, who told the former world No 1s to “get their facts straight”, pointing to “the great progress women have made in Saudi Arabia”.
“Failing to acknowledge the great progress women have made in Saudi Arabia denigrates our remarkable journey,” Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud wrote in a lengthy statement. “Like many women around the world, we looked to the legends of tennis as trailblazers and role models… glimmers of hope that women truly could achieve it all. But these champions have turned their back on the very same women they have inspired and it’s beyond disappointing.”
“While there’s still work to be done, the recent progress for women, the engagement of women in the workplace, and the social and cultural opportunities being created for women are truly profound, and should not be overlooked.”
From a $2bn investment in LIV Golf and the staging of a Formula 1 grand prix race to the recruitment of high-profile ambassadors such as Lionel Messi and Rafael Nadal, Saudi Arabia has made significant investments in the world of sport in recent years. The country will host the World Cup in 2034, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Roberto Firmino among the host of stars recruited to play in the country’s domestic football league. A significant step tennis-wise came last November, when the Next Gen ATP Finals were hosted in Jeddah. The following month, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur all appeared at an exhibition event in Riyadh, since when the noise surrounding the possibility of a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia has grown ever louder.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has agreed a five-year deal with the men’s tour that includes naming rights for the ATP rankings and courtside branding at several big events, including the ATP Finals. Efforts to grow the game domestically are also gathering momentum, with a mass participation programme receiving 13,000 visits at local sites across the kingdom. The number of clubs has doubled over the past five years, while an estimated 30,000 school children were introduced to the sport last year following an initiative to make tennis part of the physical education curriculum at 90 schools countrywide. The Saudi Tennis Federation is targeting a twofold increase in the number of schoolchildren participating in the sport by the end of this year, both boys and girls.
“I feel like people should be more informed about what’s happening in Saudi,” Ons Jabeur, the world No 6 and three-time grand slam finalist, said earlier this year. “More informed about how the country is getting better and better, and I feel like it’s important not to just listen to one side – in anything, to be honest with you, not just in this matter.”
Steve Simon, the WTA chairman and chief executive, hailed the move to Saudi Arabia as “a positive step for the long-term growth of women’s tennis as a global and inclusive sport”.
“We’ve been impressed by the commitment shown by the Saudi Tennis Federation to grow the sport at all levels,” said Simon. “We have no doubt that players and fans can look forward to a world-class event in Riyadh as the finale to the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons.”