The WTA Finals are supposed to be the flagship event for women’s tennis. But in Saudi Arabia, little of that has been seen so far. A tennis icon is therefore speaking out.
“Inspiring the nation: Saudi Fans in awe” – this is the promising headline of a press release for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which also enthuses about the numerous local and international fans in attendance.
The sad truth is a little different. Longtime tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg sarcastically wondered if “Awe” was the name of another venue across the street where all the fans mentioned could be found.
Because it is clear that little of the enthusiasm mentioned in the press release can be seen in the stadium. On Sunday, for example, there were only about 400 spectators in a stadium that holds 5,000. Telegraph journalist Simon Briggs, who was on site, filmed how ridiculously empty the stadium looked while Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, two of the best players in the world, were dueling.
Second day of the WTA Finals drew an embarrassingly tiny crowd of around 400 spectators, reopening the debate about the decision to bring elite tennis to Riyadh
✍️& @simonrbriggshttps://t.co/zqnVdVU4Vb pic.twitter.com/yrkHzolH53
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) November 4, 2024
“Extremely disappointing”: Tennis icon criticizes
A sad picture for the most important event on the WTA Tour, after all, Grand Slams are not organized by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) itself.
England’s tennis icon, who is on site for Sky UK as an expert, was also appalled: “There has been a lot of discussion about whether sporting events should come to Saudi Arabia, but if we overlook that and just look at the WTA Finals as an event, it is extremely disappointing that the best female players in the world – Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff – are performing in front of an audience like this today.”
You can’t blame the organizers in Saudi Arabia for scaring off potential spectators with high ticket prices – quite the opposite. The cheapest tickets cost just seven euros.
Nevertheless, with the exception of the opening day, when the match between Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka was attended by around 70 percent of capacity thanks to a large number of Chinese fans, the stadium looks largely empty.
Hardly any spectators at the finals? WTA not surprised
On Sunday, the organizers pointed out that the low number of spectators was due to the fact that students in Riyadh are currently busy with exams – unfortunate for an event taking place in the indoor arena of King Saud University. More spectators are not expected until Friday.
In a statement, the WTA was surprisingly relaxed about this: “We always expected lower attendance rates with the start of the Saudi working week on Sunday, but we expect the numbers to increase towards the weekend.”
The empty halls during the Saudi working week at the one big tournament, where the women don’t have to share the attention with the men, are surprising. Of course, due to the financial strength of the Saudis, it is worthwhile for the WTA even if no spectators turn up at all.
But this is not the best way to promote women’s tennis.
The WTA points out that the goal would be “to bring tennis to a new audience and it takes time to build that.”
Gauff has a similar view: “When there is something new in a region, I don’t expect the spectator stands to be full. It’s just part of the game’s evolution. Look at the WNBA. Those stands probably weren’t that full a few years ago and now they are full for all teams. I think it’s just growing pains.”
The Saudi Tennis Federation is pursuing a similar goal. The aim is to inspire one million people by 2030 with these tournaments in Saudi Arabia.
Whether they will succeed remains to be seen. After this start, an early end to the “growing pains” is not in sight any time soon.