tennis
WTA Finals will take place in Saudi Arabia in the future
World number one Iga Swiatek will be playing at the WTA Finals in Riyadh in the future. photo
© Lynne Sladky/AP/dpa
Saudi Arabia can look forward to the next coup in world sport. Riyadh will host the WTA Finals until at least 2026. The eight best players of the year always take part in the tournament.
The final round with the eight best singles and doubles players will take place this season from November 2nd to 9th. A record prize money of 15.25 million dollars, the equivalent of around 14.05 million euros, will be distributed, which will be increased in the next two years.
Saudi Arabia has long been trying to expand its influence in tennis. It was recently announced that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) would offer two billion US dollars for the ATP and WTA Tour Masters tournaments. These are events in the second highest category for men and women behind the four Grand Slams, which have so far been organized separately by the ATP and WTA.
Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in sport
In addition, Rafael Nadal was introduced as the country’s tennis ambassador at the beginning of the year. A tournament called “Six Kings Slam” is also scheduled to take place in October, in which the industry’s top stars such as Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are scheduled to take part.
Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sport for years through its sovereign wealth fund and has already entered the football, boxing and Formula 1 business, among other things. The official goals of the state plan “Vision 2030” are the diversification of the economy, less dependence on oil, opening up the country to tourists and attractive offers for the country’s own population. But the kingdom is also accused of using its involvement in sport to distract attention from its human rights violations and to improve its image.