Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are set to compete for the year-end world number one ranking at the WTA Finals starting this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sabalenka currently holds the top spot after winning the Australian Open, US Open, and tournaments in Cincinnati and Wuhan this year.
Swiatek, who won five titles including the French Open, seeks to reclaim her number one ranking after skipping the recent Asian swing due to fatigue. Both players have dominated the number one ranking since April 2022.
The WTA Finals, running for a week, offer a significant prize and 1,500 points. Sabalenka aims to secure her ranking by winning three round-robin matches or reaching the final. Swiatek must defend her WTA Finals title to surpass Sabalenka.
Sabalenka said,”Yeah, that’s definitely one of the goals,” said Sabalenka.
“I’ve always been saying that for me it’s about finishing the year as the world number one. I’ll do everything I can to finish the year as world number one.
“… Anytime we come to the tournament, we want to win. That’s the first goal. I’m trying to be focused on the first part. Then, if I’ll be able to finish the year as number one, it’ll be amazing and I’ll be super happy.”
Swiatek remarked, “Obviously we’re both fighting for this spot. It’s been us basically, over the past few years,” Swiatek said.
“I’m in the tournament. I want to play my best and win. I’m going to focus on my first match and do everything step by step.
“She’s a great player. She also deserves to be number one. For sure, I’m going to fight for me to be in that place.”
Sabalenka holds a 1,046-point lead over Swiatek, who has not played since her US Open exit in September. Swiatek has since hired a new coach, Wim Fissette, ahead of the tournament.
Other participants include Zheng Qinwen, Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Barbora Krejcikova.
Elena Rybakina, dealing with health issues, also aims to make a strong comeback, and Zheng Qinwen, in good form, will face Sabalenka early in the tournament.
Zheng commented, “The trickiest part for me right now is how to really find a way to break through the wall and beat her.”
INTENSE DEBATE AROUND SAUDI ARABIA
The WTA Finals have sparked significant controversy in recent months following Riyadh’s selection as the host city through 2026.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has made substantial investments in various sports, including football, Formula One, and golf. Critics argue that the nation is employing its Public Investment Fund to “sportswash” its human rights record.
The Saudi government refutes these claims of human rights violations, asserting that its laws are designed to safeguard national security.
WTA chief Steve Simon acknowledged last year that hosting women’s tour events in Saudi Arabia posed “big issues,” yet he also recognized the progress the country has made and emphasised ongoing discussions with players prior to finalising the WTA Finals agreement.
“Our decision was made with full consultation with our players and our tournaments,” WTA CEO Portia Archer said. “That led to the decision to come here and being comfortable with it.
“… We think it’ll support women in tennis and enable some very positive things to come out of us being here that will last well beyond the eight days we’re here this year and successively the next two years when we host the tournament here.”
Additionally, tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have voiced concerns, stating that the WTA’s values diverge from those of Saudi Arabia.
Gauff believes bringing the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia can “open doors” and inspire positive change for women in the country, although the world number three admitted: “I’d be lying to you if I said I had no reservations”.
Gauff, 20, admits she had reservations about the idea of staging the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia and wanted to see for herself what kind of progress is being made.
“Obviously I’m very aware of the situation here in Saudi. My view on it is I do think that sport can have a way to open doors to people. I think in order to want change, you have to see it. I think sports for me, I would say is the easiest way to introduce that,” said the American star.
“I would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations. I was pretty much on every player call I could make with the WTA. One of the things I said, if we come here, we can’t just come here and play our tournament and leave. We have to have a real program or real plan in place.”
Gauff said the calls included conversations with Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, in which Gauff asked questions about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights in the country.
“In the long run I think it could be better for everybody,” said the American.
“It’s one of those things where I want to see it for myself, see if the change is happening. If I felt uncomfortable or felt like nothing’s happening, then I probably wouldn’t come back.”
When are the WTA Finals 2024?
The WTA Finals, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams, begins in Riyadh and will conclude on November 9.
Where will the WTA Finals 2024 be played?
For the first time, the WTA Finals will be contested in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at King Saud University Indoor Arena. Riyadh will host the next two editions of the WTA Finals as well, until 2026.
Who is competing at the WTA Finals 2024?
SINGLES
Purple Group: Aryna Sabalenka, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, Zheng Qinwen
Orange Group: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova
DOUBLES
Green Group: Lyudmila Kichenok/Jelena Ostapenko, Hsieh Su-Wei/Elise Mertens, Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Ellen Perez, Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend
White Group: Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, Caroline Dolehide/Desirae Krawczyk, Chan Hao-Ching/Veronika Kudermetova
What is the prize money at WTA Finals 2024?
The singles champion will pocket no less $4.45 million of the overall prize money of $15.25 million. If a player goes unbeaten towards the title, they could earn as much as $5.15 million. In comparison, in 2019, Ash Barty had won $4.42 million in what was a huge moment for women’s tennis as it moved to Shenzhen.
What is the format of WTA Finals 2024?
The singles and doubles competitions will take place in a round-robin format. The players and teams will play each other(s) once and the top two in singles/doubles will advance to the semi-finals. The top player/team from each group will face the No. 2 placed player/team in the other group.
