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This year, Mexico got the chance at the last second, with the tournament in limbo for the third year in a row. This wreaks havoc on players’ schedules.
By Cindy Shmerler
It was early September and Iga Swiatek had no idea where her season would end.
For the third year in a row, the WTA Finals were in limbo until the start of the US Open.
“Of course, it’s unfortunate and upsetting that we don’t have a solution yet,” Swiatek said in late August, shortly before the WTA announced that Cancun, Mexico, would host this year’s championship of the world’s top 8 singles. players and the most sensible doubles teams. ” As players, we’re not involved in every discussion. “
Professional tennis players are highly structured athletes who plan their schedules months, years, in advance. Because the WTA Tour takes place in approximately 30 countries on six continents with a slight off-season, women spend much of their lives traveling, crossing time zones, and taking confusing trips. Knowing when and where they will compete is critical to their well-being and injury prevention.
In 2019, the WTA reached what it thought was a 10-year deal for the final to be held in Shenzhen, China. When Covid hit, the country was locked down. Then, when Steve Simon, the WTA’s chief executive, said the excursion would not return to China until it established the protection and whereabouts of former player Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a senior government official of sexual abuse. The scenario has become precarious. Peng eventually resurfaced and withdrew her abuse allegations.
Today, the deal is officially dead. The important question is if, and if so, when?
The WTA’s board of directors subsidized a resolution for this year, but it sank before the announcement was made. Simon then traveled to Riyadh on an excursion to China earlier this month to iron out the details. But then war broke out in the Middle East, delaying any announcements.
As the ATP Tour plays its Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting last November, dissensions have arisen among the women. Many existing players, including Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, are in a position to leave.
“Unfortunately, a lot of sports don’t pay a lot of money to women, and like a lot of women’s sports, we don’t have the luxury of saying no to certain things,” said Pegula, a member of the WTA Player Council. said at the U. S. Open.
“I think if cash is smart and the deal is something we can support, where we can pass and create change, then it would be OK to bet on it,” he added.
Maria Sakkari said she believes players want to be more open-minded. “If the WTA allows women to progress, then it will be a win for any of us,” she said by phone two weeks ago.
Some exes disagree.
“Why would the leading women’s sport pass into the hands of a country with such a record on women’s rights?”Pam Shriver, a ten-time winner of the WTA doubles finals with Martina Navratilova, said by phone: “They’re jeopardizing a payment with core values. “
Navratilova to see progress before playing.
“I’m very much in favor of opening a dialogue,” Navratilova, also an eight-time WTA singles champion, said by phone. “But I want to see a commitment to women. I want to know their trajectories and educational plans. You can’t go there with intelligent faith. If they only want to make money, that’s a big mistake. The WTA will lose credibility if it turns a blind eye and ignores Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations.
Sabalenka and Jabeur are expected to enter Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition in Saudi Arabia called the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup in December. They will play in the Kingdom Arena, which has a capacity of around 40,000 seats.
For comparison, the WTA Finals will be played in a 4,300-seat transitional stadium in Quintana Roo. The venue, on the grounds of the Paradisus Cancun Hotel, will also have two educational fields for the players. Operating prices are estimates. The cost, totaling $9 million in total prize money, will be split between the WTA, promoters and the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located.
“Hosting the WTA Finals in Cancun is an opportunity for us to meet and meet a lot of requirements,” said Fabrice Chouquet, tournament director. “The culture, the fans, they give players from all over the world the opportunity to be in Mexico, where we have wonderful weather and smart situations to organize the occasion and colorful hospitality because that’s also Mexico’s signature. “
Two years ago, the final was held in the nearby city of Guadalajara and won thanks to Garbiñe Muguruza. Last year, after much delay in announcing the venue, the event moved to Fort Worth’s 14,000-capacity Dickies Arena, which experienced a shortage of spectators. Support until the last weekend. Caroline Garcia won the title.
For more than 20 years, from 1979 to 2000, the year-end championships were held at New York’s Madison Square Garden and attracted more than 15,000 fans.
This year, the total prize money in singles and doubles will be $9 million. If the champion remains undefeated in the Robin, she will pocket $3 million.
This year’s singles competition includes Australian Open champion Sabalenka, French Open winner Swiatek, U. S. Open champion Coco Gauff, Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Pegula, Jabeur and Sakkari. Karolina Muchova was eighth but was forced to retire last week due to a wrist injury, making way for Sakkari.
Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Sakkari are playing for the third year in a row, while Pegula, Gauff, and Jabeur are competing for the second year. Rybakina and Vondrousova are making their final debuts this year.
Another factor facing this year’s WTA Finals is its proximity to the Billie Jean King Cup, the competition for foreign women’s teams, which begins in Seville, Spain, just two days after the finals conclude in Cancun. Pegula, Gauff and Swiatek refused to participate in the Copa del Rey. This is the second year that the two iconic occasions have come into conflict.
“We’ve had our date for a long time,” King said at a video convention this month. “I think we all want to put in place a longer schedule for the players and for everyone to know what’s going to happen, because you can’t start making those decisions at the end of September. That’s right.
For Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, it’s a challenge that demands masterful juggling, not to mention intellectual gymnastics. After reaching the final in Zhengzhou, China, two weeks ago, Krejcikova traveled 1,000 miles to Zhuhai, China, where she qualified for last week’s WTA Elite Trophy, a year-end festival featuring the top 12 singles players and six doubles teams who narrowly missed the cut for the WTA Finals.
But Krejcikova and her partner, Katerina Siniakova, also have doubles complexes in the WTA final, which begins on Sunday. This requires a 9,000-mile adventure from Zhuhai to Cancun.
Then, as soon as the WTA Finals are over, Krejcikova will ride another 5,000 miles from Cancun to Seville for the Billie Jean King Cup. But at least she will have company, as fellow Czechs Siniakova and Vondrousova also play in Cancun and Seville.
Regardless of the scheduling difficulties, issues, and politics involved in opting for tournament venues, players who qualify for the WTA Finals appreciate the opportunity to compete.
“I thought it was a celebration, a compliment for a wonderful season,” said Sakkari, who reached the semifinals last year with wins over Sabalenka, Pegula and Jabeur. “It’s huge. There are only seven other players out there and you’re playing games of chance as opposed to the most productive of the most productive. It’s very unique.
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