Coco Gauff says she doesn't have anything against Saudi Arabia hosting the WTA Finals as the American tennis star thought last year's organization in Riyadh was "a success."
Throughout 2023, it had been heavily speculated that the WTA was ready to move the WTA Finals to Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, it didn't happen after the WTA authorities wanted to give themselves more time to plan everything because it wasn't a secret that such a move would draw certain criticism and backlash.
But last year, the agreement between the WTA authorities and the Saudis was officially struck - it was a three-year deal for Riyadh to host the season-ending tournament. And for the first time, Saudi Arabia hosted a WTA tournament. For the tournament, the most important thing was that the biggest stars of the game spoke positively about their time there.
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Gauff ended up playing a total of five matches in Riyadh last year and taking the title after edging out Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2) in the final.
Gauff: The WTA Finals in Riyadh seems successful
"I definitely think that for Riyadh, it was smart to just do three years, just to test the waters and see how it goes, considering that there was never a womens professional event there. But from a player perspective, it definitely seemed like it was successful. I dont know how it was logistically and all that, but from my experience, it seems successful. So I wouldnt mind coming back in the future for longer than three years," Gauff told Arab News.
As mentioned above, Riyadh received the right to host the WTA Finals between 2024 and 2026. Knowing that the Saudis have some major plans in tennis, it is safe to say that they will pursue an even lengthier deal after the current deal expires.
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Six players have so far booked their places for this year's WTA Finals - Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys.
