Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals starting this year, thereby increasing its influence in world sport. The agreement between the Saudi Tennis Association and the women’s tennis organization WTA is initially valid until 2026, as the WTA announced on Thursday. 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 been trying to expand its influence in tennis for a long time. It was recently announced that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) would offer two billion US dollars for the Masters tournaments of the ATP and WTA Tour. 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. 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.
