WTA Taps Riyadh, Saudi Arabia To Host Finals 2024-26, Record $15M Prize Money

By Barry Janoff

April 4, 2024: Calling it a move “to inspire future generations of players and celebrate women’s tennis,” Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has been selected to host the next three WTA Finals, 2024-26, following an agreement between the Hologic WTA Tour and the Saudi Tennis Federation.

The 2024 season-ending WTA Finals are scheduled for Nov. 2-9, featuring the Top 8 players in singles and Top 8 pairs in doubles.

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.”

Financial terms of the pact were not shared.

The WTA said it selected Riyadh following a “comprehensive evaluation process over several months, which has included assessment of multiple bids from different regions and engagement with players.”

The WTA said the partnership would also “support broader investment in the future development and growth of women’s tennis, including the WTA’s plans to grow the global fanbase for women’s tennis through increased investment in marketing, digital and fan engagement.”

“Bringing the WTA Finals to Riyadh is an exciting new opportunity for us and a positive step for the long-term growth of women’s tennis as a global and inclusive sport,” Steve Simon, WTA chairman and CEO, said via the organization.

“We’ve been impressed by the commitment shown by the Saudi Tennis Federation to grow the sport at all levels, and we have no doubt that players and fans can look forward to a world-class event in Riyadh as the finale to the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons.”

The WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation said they would work together to “develop multi-year initiatives to help drive continued progress and in particular to apply the WTA’s expertise and capabilities to engage and inspire more girls and boys to participate in tennis.”

“Hosting the WTA Finals is absolutely huge for the future of tennis in Saudi Arabia and growing sport in general, especially amongst our young girls,”  Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation — which said she was the first elected female president of any Saudi Arabian sports federation — said via the organization.

“And that’s entirely our focus, to inspire future generations of players and celebrate women’s tennis. We want to help them to believe that they too belong on center court, as seeing is believing. Through the tournament we have the potential to power the dreams of millions of young people who are looking to a bright future and a world of new opportunities.”

The WTA alliance continues Saudi Arabia’s recent significant moves into the world of pro tennis.

The ATP Tour last August said its Next Gen Finals would be held in Jeddah from 2023-27.

In February, calling it “a catalyst for growth of the global tennis landscape,” the ATP Tour unveiled a multi-year strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, “marking a significant shared commitment to enhancing global tennis for players, fans, tournament organizers and stakeholders at all levels of the sport.”

The five-year alliance sees PIF become the official naming partner of the ATP Rankings as players seek the year-end No. 1 ranking, presented by PIF, crowned at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held in Turin, Italy thru 2025.

PIF is also partnering with ATP Tour events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.

Also in February, plans were unveiled for Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune to play at the “Six Kings Slam”, an exhibition event in Riyadh, scheduled for October.

In January, Nadal was named an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation with plans for a training academy.

According to the WTA, all prospective hosts for the WTA Finals 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

“Hosting the WTA Finals is absolutely huge for the future of tennis in Saudi Arabia and growing sport in general, especially amongst our young girls."

“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,” Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, the WTA’s commercial division, said via the group.

“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 2023 WTA Finals were played in Cancun, Mexico.

Fort Worth, Texas hosted the 2022 tournament.

According to Mutabagani, “Everyone will be made to feel extremely welcome. Our country is moving forward. Much has been achieved already and many historic steps taken by women in all sectors in recent years, with sport driving much of the progress across our entire society.

“So, we have real momentum and hosting the world’s best tennis players in Riyadh will only accelerate our transformation and help grow the game further.”

ATP Tour, PIF Unveil Five-Year Alliance To Grow Tennis ‘At All Levels’

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