Saudi Arabia to host next three editions of the WTA Finals

The WTA announced on Thursday that Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will be the host for the next three editions of the WTA Finals, from 2024-2026. The 2024 season-ending championships will take place from November 2-9, featuring the Top 8 singles players and doubles teams in the race to the WTA Finals.

The agreement with the Saudi Tennis Federation will offer record prize money of $15.25 million at the WTA Finals in 2024 with further increases in 2025 and 2026, which is higher than the $15 million prize money offered to the men at the ATP Finals in Turin last year.

After assessing multiple bids from different regions and engaging with players for several months, the WTA selected Riyadh. All prospective hosts were considered against a clear set of criteria:

• The ability to deliver and fund a world-class event for players and fans
• Support for the WTA’s ambition for significant prize money growth
• The strength of their commitment to growing the WTA Finals and the sport over time

CEO of WTA Ventures, Marina Storti said: “This multi-year partnership expands the WTA’s presence in the Middle East and brings us to a country with huge potential for growth, as well as supporting our ambitious plans to accelerate the global development and progress of women’s tennis. We’re looking forward to working with the Saudi Tennis Federation over the coming years to grow the WTA Finals, create more fans, and inspire more people to play our brilliant sport.”

The season-ending championships had three different locations in its last three editions as they were looking for a long-term venue for the event. It was quite problematic last year in Cancun as the players had to play amidst unsafe court conditions and hurricanes.

Saudi Arabia doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to women’s rights, so it will be interesting to see how the players react to this announcement. Legends like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert have previously expressed their concerns about a potential move to Saudi Arabia.