ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Saudi capital Riyadh has been chosen as the venue for the WTA Finals for a remarkable three-year stint, covering the years 2024 through 2026.
This decision came about following a collaborative agreement between the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Saudi Tennis Federation. The event, slated for November 2-9, 2024, is set to showcase the top 8 singles players and doubles teams vying for victory in the race to the prestigious WTA Finals.
Riyadh's selection as the host city followed a rigorous assessment process, evaluating numerous global bids and engaging with players. Key factors in the selection process included Riyadh's capability to host a world-class event, its commitment to substantial prize money growth, and its strong dedication to the ongoing development of the WTA Finals and tennis as a whole.
This partnership brings with it a record-breaking prize purse of $15.25 million for the 2024 WTA Finals, with anticipated increases in the ensuing years. Furthermore, it heralds expanded investments in the future progression of women's tennis, with a focus on marketing, digital innovations, and enhanced fan engagement to broaden the global audience for women's tennis.
Saudi Arabia's selection as the host country underscores the WTA's longstanding presence in the Middle East, spanning over two decades. It aligns with a period of significant sports growth in the Kingdom, marked by a threefold increase in overall sports participation levels since 2015, alongside a similar increase in the number of sporting federations, exemplified by the Saudi Tennis Federation's emergence.
At the grassroots level, tennis is experiencing a surge in Saudi Arabia, with club numbers doubling in the past five years and equal participation rates among girls and boys in school tennis programs. In 2023, approximately 30,000 schoolchildren embarked on their tennis journey, with plans to introduce the sport to nearly 60,000 more in 2024.
In conjunction with hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation are devising multi-year initiatives to further catalyze progress in the sport, with a specific focus on inspiring more young individuals, especially girls, to embrace tennis.
Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, expressed excitement about this new chapter, seeing it as a pivotal step forward for the advancement of women’s tennis. Arij Mutabagani, President of the Saudi Tennis Federation and the first elected female president of any Saudi Arabian sports federation, highlighted the significance of hosting the WTA Finals for the future of tennis and sports development in Saudi Arabia, particularly among young girls.
