WTA signs multi-year partnership with Saudi’s PIF

NEW YORK – The women’s tennis tour (WTA) on May 20 announced a “multi-year partnership” with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, emulating a deal made by the men’s tour (ATP) in February.

The WTA said in a statement that it shared with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) an “ambition to grow women’s professional tennis and inspire more women and girls around the world to take up the game”.

“We look forward to sharing the journey of our talented players across the season, as we continue to grow the sport, creating more fans of tennis and inspiring more young people to take up the game,” said Marina Storti, chief executive of WTA Ventures, in the joint statement.

PIF will also become the “first-ever naming partner of the WTA Rankings”.

“Through our partnership with WTA, PIF will continue to be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport. This partnership aligns with our ambition to elevate the game and bring positive growth to the sport around the world,” said Mohamed Alsayyad of PIF in the statement.

The partnership between the WTA and PIF follows the recent announcement that the season-ending WTA Finals, featuring the eight top singles players and doubles pairings, will be held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh for the next three years, starting in 2024.

The development also marks the latest move in a dramatic shift by the women’s tour, which was previously reluctant to embrace Saudi partnership.

Much like its forays into golf and football, the Saudi tennis push has met some resistance, with legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert denouncing the Middle Eastern country’s record on women’s rights in an op-ed published by The Washington Post in January.

The article was headlined: We Did Not Help Build Women’s Tennis For It To Be Exploited By Saudi Arabia.

Out-going WTA CEO Steve Simon also said that Saudi Arabia posed “big issues” as a host for women’s tennis events.

Women’s rights activists and members of the LGBTQ community accused the country of “sports-washing”, as the conservative Gulf State’s bid to become a sports powerhouse was said to be an attempt to soften its austere image.

However, that rebranding is also central to the success of the country’s Vision 2030 economic and social reform agenda, designed to prepare the world’s biggest crude exporter for a prosperous post-oil future.

In 2023, the kingdom hosted its first ATP Tour event with the Next Gen Finals. It has also hosted exhibition matches pitting Novak Djokovic against Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka against Ons Jabeur.

In early January, Saudi Arabia appointed Rafael Nadal as ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation.

The country also hosts a Formula One and MotoGP Grand Prix, and the Dakar Rally.

The PIF funds LIV Golf and has also recruited many top footballers to its national league in recent years.

Saudi Arabia has hosted a series of headline-grabbing boxing matches as well, including the heavyweight unification bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on May 18.

AFP, REUTERS