Saudi Arabia misses out as WTA Finals handed to Mexico
Caroline Garcia was a surprise winner of the 2022 WTA final against Aryna Sabalenka in fort Worth
New York – Cancun will host the WTA Finals October 29-November 5, the WTA announcing Thursday the Mexican resort would stage the season ending tournament after reports that Saudi Arabia was front-runner to land the event.
The WTA said in a statement that officials “weighed a number of competitive bids throughout the process” and made a decision “based on multiple factors including player logistics, travel accessibility, venue capacity and a commitment to supporting and showcasing women’s tennis.”
The prestigious year-end finale features the top eight singles players and doubles players in the WTA’s Race to the WTA Finals.
The news comes after another year of uncertainty as to the location of the Finals, which was held at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, last year.
WTA chief Steve Simon said in June the organization was “evaluating” the possibility of taking a tournament to Saudi Arabia, while describing the subject as “difficult and challenging.”
Recent reports had said Saudi Arabia was in pole position to land the event, which sparked criticism at the US Open from US legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert among others.
“I would prefer the WTA not go to Saudi Arabia,” Evert said at an ESPN media event before the US Open.
“Obviously they have the human rights issues and everything, just the way they treat women. I would be against it. But I don’t have a vote.”
Saudi Arabia has lavished hundreds of millions of dollars on sporting events in recent years as part of a strategy critics describe as “sportswashing.”
Last month Jeddah was confirmed as the venue for the ATP NextGen series until 2027.
Some current WTA players, however, including Tunisian Ons Jabeur and American Jessica Pegula, said they thought a tournament there could be part of a push to improve women’s rights in the kingdom.
Instead, the tournament returns to Mexico for the second time in three years, after Guadalajara hosted in 2021.
China’s southern city of Shenzhen had a record-breaking deal to stage the event for 10 years, starting in 2019, when singles champion Ashleigh Barty’s prize of $4.42 million was the highest ever awarded to a player at any tennis event men’s or women’s.
But the Covid-19 pandemic and the WTA’s boycott of Chinese venues over concerns for the safety of Chinese player Peng Shuai have meant the Finals have not returned to Shenzhen since.
The WTA is set to return to China in September with a 250-level event in Guangzhou and the elite 1000-level China Open in Beijing.