As the world’s highest-ranked players on the women’s Tour prepare for the US Open, they still have no assurance over where they will play their final tournament of the season.
The New York Grand Slam takes place less than two months before the start of the WTA Finals which is the biggest WTA event outside of the major tournaments in terms of both prize money and ranking points on offer. In recent years a deal was signed with China to hold the event in Shanghai before officials suspended operations in the region over concerns that ex-world No.1 Peng Shuai was being censored by officials after accusing a former government official of sexual assault. In 2021 it was held in Mexico before moving to America last year.
Women’s tennis will return to China this autumn but the end-of-season showdown is not expected to take place there. To the frustration of some, officials are still trying to iron out a deal which leaves players waiting for an announcement to be made.
“We are not involved in all the discussions. I’m kind of waiting on what WTA will tell us,” World No.1 Iga Swiatek told reporters in New York on Friday.
“It would be great if the decision were made earlier. Especially when we were in Fort Worth (last year), they (the WTA) kind of assured us the decision was going to be made at the beginning of the year. It is a little bit annoying but as players, there’s nothing we can do because it’s all about business and negotiations.”
A key contender to host the event is Saudi Arabia, confirmed earlier this week as the new home of the ATP Next Gen Finals. Ubitennis understands that an offer from the country for the event has been made but negotiations are ongoing. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated journalist Jon Wertheim has claimed on social media that Prague, Czech Republic and Washington, America have also expressed interest.
Jessica Pegula, who is a member of the WTA Players Council, understands the complex topic of playing in Saudi Arabia but believes there are more positives than negatives. The Middle Eastern nation has been accused of using sport to improve its image which has been marred by allegations of multiple human rights violations.
“We’d obviously have to see there be a lot of pros overweighing the cons to feel comfortable going there, whether that’s seeing them as a group, maybe have to donate money to women’s sports or women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, to see some sort of change or action going towards helping those causes in their country,” said Pegula.
“I think that would be something really important that, if we did end up going there, we would want to see.
”I think it’s just going to have to be the right arrangement and we’re going to have to know if we go there, okay, well, we want to be making a change, and you need to help us do that.
“If that was the case, I think unfortunately a lot of places don’t pay women a lot of money, and it’s unfortunate that a lot of women’s sports, like we don’t have the luxury to say no to some things.”
Ons Jabeur is the only Arab player in history to have played at the WTA Finals. Despite the criticism of Saudi Arabia, she believes progress is being made and hosting a tennis event there could improve it further. In recent years, women have been granted the right to drive and rules regarding gender segregation in public have been scrapped. However, some activists argue that these reforms don’t go far enough with concerns raised over issues such as protection from domestic abuse.
“I know in Saudi they’re changing things and they’re evolving,” said Jabeur.
“I’ve been there last year to give a speech and interview. It was very nice meeting a lot of amazing women there.’
“I think it’s something that could help the Arab world to have more tennis players, to get more involved in sports. If they play there, and hopefully if I qualify, it will be a great honour and opportunity for me.”
It is expected that a decision on the WTA Finals will be made soon, perhaps next week. The timeline of the bidding process is something very questionable. However, one thing for certain is that the big names will appear wherever it takes place.
“Whatever decision they’re going to make, I’m happy to go,” Aryna Sabalenka commented.
