Tim Henman has become the latest tennis legend to question Saudi Arabia’s staging of the WTA Finals, although his concerns focused less on sportswashing than the absence of spectators in the stands.
Henman – the former British No. 1 who now commentates for Sky Sports – was among the frustrated observers as the second day of the WTA Finals drew an embarrassingly small crowd of around 400 spectators, fueling debate over the decision to bring elite tennis to Riyadh was reopened.
So far, the conversation has mainly focused on the moral arguments for and against this groundbreaking event. Eighties giants Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova declined to attend after calling the choice of Saudi Arabia “a major step backwards at the expense of the WTA, women’s sport and women”.
But the eight players who qualified presented a united front. They insist the tournament will have a positive impact, arguing that the presence of so many independent female athletes can inspire local women in a country ranked 126 out of 146 on the Global Gender Gap Index.
To achieve such lofty ambitions, however, there must be people – preferably women – in the stands to watch. On Sunday, the 5,000-seat stadium was less than 10 percent full, despite the cheapest tickets costing no more than 30 Riyals (£6). The shortage raised a different kind of question: Can Saudi Arabia justify hosting a tournament of this magnitude for the full three-year contract if there is no interest among the local population?
Could there also be a structural problem with women’s sports in Saudi Arabia? When Riyadh hosted the Six King’s Slam event at a nearby venue three weeks ago, the 8,000 seats were largely full for matches featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. It seems likely that, just as female citizens of the Kingdom are legally dependent on their male guardians, women’s sports are also considered second-class.
“There has been a lot of discussion about whether sporting events should come to Saudi Arabia,” Henman said, “but if we go beyond that and look at these WTA Finals as just an event, it is extremely disappointing when you lose the best players have in the world. players – Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff – performing in front of such an audience today.
“The organizers here are in a privileged position where they are not necessarily trying to make money from the receipts. So they need to go to the communities and to the schools because we need spectators here to witness the best players and create that atmosphere.”
After the first match of the day, in which Swiatek defeated Barbora Krejcikova in three sets, Krejcikova told reporters: “There were not so many fans, but they created a nice atmosphere.”
Later, Coco Gauff handed a 6-3, 6-2 beatdown to her friend, compatriot and sometime doubles partner Jessica Pegula. Gauff then explained: “Every time there is something new in a region, I don’t expect the audience to be full. It’s just part of growing the game. Look at the WNBA [women’s basketball league]. Those stands probably weren’t that full a few years ago, and now they’re full for all the teams. So I think it’s just growing pains.”
Pegula was also optimistic when she said: “We have played many matches where there were not many people. We spent the entire Covid period playing where no one was.”
But Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend pointed out on air that there are numerous countries in the world where players like Swiatek – three-time major champion and former world number one – would attract significant audiences without the need to attract locals. to explain the attractions of the game.
In a statement, the WTA made the same point as Gauff: “We are bringing tennis to a new audience and that takes time to build.” It also highlighted the “strong turnout on opening day,” adding: “We always expected lower turnout at the start of the Saudi work week on Sunday, but expect numbers to increase as we approach the weekend.”
The atmosphere was certainly lively in Saturday’s opening match between Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka, which the Belarusian won 6-3, 6-4 to extend her 100 percent record against the Olympic champion.
‘There was almost no audience’
The stands were as much as 70 percent full for that match, with a Chinese majority making Qinwen feel like she was playing at home. However, for the Saturday evening match between Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina, the numbers dropped, while the doubles barely registered.
On Sunday, organizers were quick to report that students are busy with exams in Riyadh – a disadvantage for an event hosted at King Saud University’s indoor arena. However, there are also expected to be small crowds for the next four days until the numbers pick up again on Friday.
The previous two editions of the WTA Finals, held in Texas two years ago and Cancun last year, both also suffered from poor attendance. But in those cases there was more excuse.
“Texas and Cancun were both arranged at the last minute,” Henman said, “while Riyadh’s announcement came in April.
“I think the organizers should look at the lack of fans. The way they built the facility and cared for the players is really impressive. But the allocation of tickets – I don’t think you can even call it a ticket sale, if this is not really a commercial operation – needs to be taken more seriously. Today there was almost no audience anymore.”
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