The WTA Finals, scheduled to be held at King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyadh from November 2-9, is a “great opportunity” to promote tennis and encourage more women in Saudi Arabia to take to the sport, Tournament Director and former tennis player Garbine Muguruza told Al Arabiya English in an exclusive interview.
“Riyadh is great [for the WTA Finals] because it is a market that is not too familiar with tennis. So, it is a wonderful opportunity to bring this event here for the community. It will feel like it is not something unreachable,” Muguruza said.
The season-ending crown jewel event on the Hologic WTA Tour features the top eight singles players and doubles teams, contesting for a record prize pool of $15.25 million.
“This is the crown jewel of WTA, the most prestigious event. There are only eight players and it’s so hard to qualify. It takes the whole year and it’s the first time that Riyadh will be hosting an event of this magnitude,” Muguruza further said.
“Sports helps so much to unite cultures. I’m thrilled that there is a women’s event here of such a magnitude, and it is going to break the ice on the new [tennis] market here,” the former player said.
Growth of the sport
The WTA Finals Riyadh is a major element of the STF’s plans to increase participation in tennis across Saudi Arabia and fulfills one of the WTA’s goals of growing the game worldwide and inspiring a new generation of girls to take to the court.
According to Muguruza, WTA, and STF have a shared goal of inspiring more than one million new tennis players to take up the sport in Saudi Arabia through this upcoming tournament.
