Is Wta Finals Bringing Change To Saudi Arabia?

The season-ending WTA Finals has concluded aft being held for nan 2nd clip successful Saudi Arabia - a arguable move which has continued to beryllium scrutinised.

At nan inaugural arena past year, nan WTA and Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) insisted it would beryllium a catalyst for alteration successful a state criticised for its restrictions connected women’s rights.

"Last twelvemonth was a caller tourney successful a caller marketplace and it was successful, but this twelvemonth we consciousness overmuch much liking among nan fans," Garbine Muguruza, nan two-time Grand Slam champion who is nan WTA Finals tourney director, told BBC Sport.

"The group successful Saudi are much familiarised pinch tennis. They are funny astir nan athletics and nan event. It is going successful nan correct direction."

For others, nan Finals person not changed concerns astir motives and money.

"While Saudi Arabia has invested heavy successful intermezo and sports, including hosting nan WTA Finals, these initiatives should not obscure nan broader reality of women's authorities successful nan country," said Bissan Fakih, a Middle East and North Africa campaigner astatine Amnesty International.

"Increased entree to athletics and intermezo is welcome, peculiarly for women and girls who were agelong excluded, but this image of advancement contrasts sharply pinch ongoing repression and discrimination."

After nan eight-day tourney vanished successful Riyadh connected Saturday, BBC Sport analyses nan effect nan arena is having.

The WTA agreed a three-year woody for Saudi Arabia to big a tourney which sees nan 8 starring women's singles players and champion 8 doubles teams of nan play compete.

This year's full prize money of $15.5m (£12m) is nan largest successful women's sports history, says nan WTA.

Many critics declare nan finance into top-class athletics is simply a move to summation legitimacy and deflect attraction from contention complete Saudi Arabia's quality authorities record, a believe known arsenic 'sportswashing'.

While location person been reforms – nan prohibition connected women driving, for example, was officially lifted successful 2018 – concerns astir nan kingdom's suitability to big salient women’s athletics events remain.

"There continues to beryllium gender-based favoritism successful astir aspects of family life, including successful marriage, divorcement and kid custody," Fakih told BBC Sport.

The Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) was asked by BBC Sport to reside these concerns during nan WTA Finals, but did not make immoderate of its officials disposable for interview.

Campaign group Humans Rights Watch opportunity location is nary grounds nan WTA's beingness is improving women's authorities successful Saudi, pointing to an "absence of action" successful cases involving women imprisoned for advocating for change.

Manahel al-Otaibi, a fittingness influencer and activist, is serving a five-year situation condemnation for tweets supporting women's rights.

"The Saudi authorities proceed to detain my sister while they persist successful their charade of whitewashing their image and claiming to empower women successful beforehand of Western media," her sister Fawzia al-Otaibi told BBC Sport.

Al-Otaibi's different sister Mariam remains nether a recreation ban, while facing restrictions connected her reside and entree to authorities services, according to Humans Rights Watch.

"Seeing quality authorities defenders who were jailed and are still being imprisoned coming - cases which were known earlier nan WTA went successful - is simply a bully parameter of nan deficiency of progress," Minky Worden, head of world initiatives astatine Human Rights Watch, said.

"It's clear nan Saudi authorities don't consciousness immoderate meaningful unit to do anything."

Muguruza has visited nan Kingdom respective times since nan Finals moved there, going into communities to sojourn schools and clubs pinch a attraction of attracting much female tennis players.

From these experiences, she says nan women she has met are "so happy" nan arena is taking spot connected their doorsteps.

Asked if she is fielding concerns astir 'sportswashing', Muguruza said: "No, I don't deliberation so.

"That was astir apt a speech 2 years agone aliases thing erstwhile group were much unfamiliarised pinch nan sports here, but I deliberation this is over.

"There are truthful galore events present successful sports and it has been very successful. I don't consciousness that, no."

The STF's ambition is getting 1 cardinal group engaged successful tennis by 2030 – meaning everything from playing to administration.

Last twelvemonth it said location were 177 clubs and 14,000 women actively playing tennis, pinch past STF president Arij Mutabagani hopeful of expanding that.

Female information successful tennis has accrued much than 24% since nan 2024 WTA Finals, according to nan STF.

It says 17,000 women are now actively playing tennis, portion of much than 330,000 registered female athletes.

Female information successful each athletics has accrued from 14% successful 2017 to 59% successful 2025, according to figures provided by nan STF.

Last year, nan WTA Finals was notable for attracting sparse crowds to nan 4,200-capacity King Saud University venue - pinch as fewer arsenic 400 reported to person turned out, external connected a time wherever Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula played.

While quiet seats were evident this year, peculiarly successful nan early portion of nan week, location did look to beryllium a marked betterment successful nan attendances.

The STF has not provided regular crowd figures aft being asked for nan accusation by BBC Sport.

One source, who was astatine nan event, said astir 24,000 tickets were sold complete nan full 8 days.

Muguruza, successful an question and reply conducted connected Friday, said nan semi-finals later that time and Saturday's last were sold out.

"There is ever a mates of challenging days successful nan week, but [the crowds] person been bigger this year," she said.

"We had to commencement from scratch a small spot because tennis was not arsenic celebrated here, but nan fans now bring nan banners and cognize nan momentum shifts. The situation has been amazing."

The WTA's three-year woody to clasp nan Finals successful Saudi Arabia expires aft adjacent year's tournament.

Incoming chair Valerie Camillo, who starts nan domiciled later this month, will be starring nan discussion of wherever nan nomadic arena will beryllium located successful 2027 and beyond.

Her predecessor Steve Simon plugged a financial shortfall, caused by nan suspension of events successful China in response to accusations made by erstwhile doubles world number 1 Peng Shuai, by choosing cash-rich Saudi Arabia arsenic its adjacent host.

The Saudi Arabia finance has besides provided a important boost to nan WTA's committedness to securing adjacent prize money astatine each mixed Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and WTA tournaments by 2027 and each of its different top-tier circuit events by 2033.

Camillo is acutely alert of nan benefits brought by Saudi Arabia hosting nan Finals and will talk nan rumor pinch different cardinal WTA unit erstwhile successful position.

WTA main executive Portia Archer has already indicated she would for illustration nan arena to stay successful its existent location.

"We signed connected for a three-year term, we'd really bask being present for moreover longer than we person been, aliases than we are agreed to beryllium here," Archer told The Athletic past week., external