The WTA Finals have kicked off in Riyadh, and while the stakes are sky-high with tennis titans like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff battling for glory, there’s an unexpected twist—empty seats. Fans and experts alike are noticing the glaring lack of crowd energy in the arena, a stark contrast to the excitement expected at such a top-tier tournament, and are buzzing with frustration.
The stands in Riyadh have failed to attract enough spectators and despite the top players playing, the stadiums with an occupancy of over 5000 people, were not even 10 percent full, per The Telegraph. There were merely 400 people watching the match on Sunday, which came as a major surprise for many. Interestingly, the price of the tickets has also been kept low, with the starting range being around USD 6.5 or 6 Euros). This led to a wide range of questions including the market assessment by WTA and the audience interest in the sport in the county, with several fans and experts slamming the organizers for poor-decision making.
The former British tennis player, Tim Henman, hit out at the selection of venue and said, “if we move past that and just look at this WTA Finals as an event, it’s extremely disappointing when you’ve got the world’s best players – Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff – performing in front of a crowd like that today.” The fans, meanwhile, are not shying away from expressing their true sentiments.
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As soon as a post on X was shared by The Telegraph detailing the small spectator turnout, several fans from around the globe joined in to take sharp digs at the organizers. They also highlighted how these empty seats would impact the morale of the players and its negative impact on the sport in the long run.
Poor audience turnout in Riyadh infuriates fans
Taking to X, one user wrote, “Horrendous for the players and for the sport. All round embarrassing and entirely predictable. Throwing Saudi money at tennis won’t fix issues. Wake up @ITFTennis @WTA @atptour.” The organizers have been under the radar for choosing Riyadh as the WTA Finals venue, with several fans highlighting the lack of enthusiasts for the sport in the city. Now, with the low audience turnout proving the point, fans yet again slammed the organizers highlighting that they tend to go there for large sponsorships and prize pools rather than the sports itself.
For those unaware, the prize pool for this year’s tournament stands at a record amount of $15.25 Million, a significant rise from the $9M that was offered in Cancun last year. A player can earn up to $5.15M, should they win all the matches. Meanwhile, similar reactions continued to flow.
Responding to the post, another user wrote, “WTA have to do better with their decision making. These are the best 8 women tennis players in the world and to play the matches with so few spectators is so disappointing.” Interestingly, WTA has continued to defend its decision to select Riyadh as the venue. In a statement, the WTA shared, “We always anticipated lower attendance with the start of the Saudi working week on Sunday but anticipate that numbers will build as we approach the weekend. It’s important to remember that this is the first time a WTA event has been held in Saudi Arabia, so we’re bringing tennis to a new audience and that takes time to build.” But while the organizers remain enthusiastic and positive about their decision, several more people joined the fray to lash out at them.
“It’s really not good for the sport …. 😬,” wrote another user. Interestingly, this is not the first time that the WTA finals witnessed a scattered audience. In 2022, the match between Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari witnessed a similar fate in Fort Worth Texas where there were just a few hundred people sitting in the audience and watching the match. Similar scenes unfolded in Cancun as well last year where Iga Swiatek clinched the title.
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One more user joined in to express their frustration and wrote, “Well ….. They go there for the cash not for the love os sport or fans…” Remember, the WTA finals consist of the Top 8 female players of the sport who compete for ultimate glory. However, the number of audiences was far less as compared to the exhibition Six Kings Slam that took place a few days back and featured players like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner. The stadiums in the city were comparatively filled back then, which raises further questions about whether women’s sport is not widely acknowledged yet.
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Yet another user simply expressed their disappointment and wrote, “And so what? WTA won’t listen anyway 😡.” As the tournament unfolds, it would be interesting to see if the analysis of the organizers turns out to be true or if the stands will continue to remain empty.