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Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals for the next 3 years and will offer a record prize pool of $15. 25 million (£12. 04 million).
The event, which will feature the maximum of eight singles and doubles players of the year, will be the most prestigious tennis tournament held in the country.
The WTA went so far as to host the 2023 final in Saudi Arabia, before heading to Cancun, Mexico.
This year’s final will take place from November 2 to 9 in Riyadh.
The Next Gen ATP Finals, which brings together men under the age of 21, was held in Saudi Arabia last year.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of seizing opportunities to “whitewash” its reputation, amid accusations of human rights violations and restricting women’s lives and freedom of expression.
See: Inside the Saudi Machine
In January, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert said the WTA Tour’s flagship event in the kingdom would be a “step backwards” for women’s tennis.
But WTA chief executive Steve Simon said that by opting for Riyadh, women’s tennis “supports the significant adjustments taking place in the region. “
“The WTA has been crumbling for over 50 years,” Simon told BBC Sport.
“We need to create more opportunities to play tennis at an elite level, and I believe by doing so we can motivate more women to get involved in the sport.
“We are a global sport. The WTA now hosts all those events and others from around the world that reflect other cultures and systems. “
Is it “fair” for women’s tennis to move to Saudi Arabia?
The WTA says it evaluated “several bids from other regions” and evaluated potential hosts based on three criteria, adding to the organization’s ambition to achieve equivalent rewards for women.
The prize money will amount to $15. 5 million (£12. 24 million) in 2025 and 2026, a significant increase from the $9 million (£7. 11 million) presented in last year’s much-criticized final.
The WTA has pledged to introduce cash match prizes at all even smaller events until 2033. For comparison, the prize fund for last year’s ATP Finals in Turin was $15 million (£11. 84 million).
Saudi Arabia has hosted exhibition events before, adding a match between Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur in December, but had hosted an official tennis event until the Next Gen ATP Finals last November.
Although the country has more enthusiasm for hosting Formula 1, boxing and golf, it has been difficult to generate crowds and atmosphere.
Attracting a crowd worthy of the WTA Finals will be a challenge, Simon admits.
“The Next Gen presentation was very strong,” he said.
“Attendance was down in the early rounds — it went up over the weekend, which is not unusual in tennis.
“They have a lot of experience in delivering world-class events in the region – Formula 1 is a good example of that – and that’s one of the spaces where we’re going to need to work with them, as we had to do. What we do in China and Singapore is outreach to the public. We have shown, with what we have done in Singapore and China, that we can do it.
Criticism of the long-awaited move to Saudi Arabia has been directed through Navratilova and Evert, who wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in January.
“Hosting a tournament there would be a major step backwards, to the detriment not only of women’s sport, but also of women,” the two men wrote.
Human Rights Watch told the BBC in December that Saudi courts had convicted others for selling homosexuality online, adding that “other LGBT people in Saudi Arabia will have to practice excessive self-censorship in their daily lives. “
Daria Kasatkina, who is in a same-sex relationship, is the only high-profile player who has expressed opposition to moving to Saudi Arabia. Jabeur had said in the past that she would be “very excited” to play in the country.
Critics say unprecedented spending on sports has been used for the oil-rich kingdom’s reputation because of its human rights record and environmental impact.
But the Saudi government says the investments breathe life into the economy, open it up to tourism and inspire others to be more active.
“We’ve had direct conversations with the players, and on a couple of trips we did there, other people from the LGBTQ network signed up for us,” Simon continued.
“We’ve also done a lot of studies on other sporting events that have been held there and we haven’t received any positive reports in the area yet. “
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of Saudi Arabia’s Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said the announcement was a vital moment for the country.
“Hosting a women’s tournament of this magnitude and visibility is a watershed moment for tennis in Saudi Arabia,” Al Faisal said.
“The WTA Finals has the power to motivate beyond sport, especially for our women and girls. “
Arij Almutabagani, who in 2021 was the first woman elected to head one of the country’s sports federations, said: “Everyone will be incredibly welcome.
“Our country is moving forward. Much has already been achieved and many historic steps have been taken across all sectors in recent years, and play drives much of the progress in our society.
“Hosting the WTA Finals is certainly huge for the long-term of tennis in Saudi Arabia and for the progression of the game in general, especially among our young women. And that’s our ultimate goal: to motivate generations of players for the long haul and celebrate women’s success. tennis. “
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