The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen is to host the WTA Finals from next year for a decade with record prize money of US$14 million for the season-ending event — a move welcomed by players.
The elite tournament, which sees the top eight female players battle it out for the Billie Jean King trophy, has previously been held in Singapore.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce that the dynamic city of Shenzhen has been chosen to host the WTA Finals, the WTA’s crown jewel season finale, for the next decade,” WTA chief Steve Simon said yesterday on the sidelines of the Australian Open. “This will easily be the largest and most significant WTA Finals deal in the 45 years since the WTA was founded and promises to take the event to a spectacular new level.”
Photo: EPA
Simon said in 2016 that the body was searching for a permanent base for the event, with interest reportedly received from Singapore, Manchester, England, Prague, St Petersburg, Russia, and Shenzhen.
The winning bid was submitted by Gemdale Corp, one of China’s largest property developers, and is to include building a state-of-the-art venue in the city center, with seating for 12,000 people.
“Shenzhen is an exciting, fast-evolving metropolis and staging the WTA Finals there will ensure the WTA’s global fan base goes from strength to strength,” WTA president Micky Lawler said.
China already hosts a number of top-level tour tournaments and has several purpose-built facilities.
Simon dismissed concerns that too much tennis was now heading to China.
“I don’t believe so,” he said. “If you look at the WTA, it’s a global tour. We need to continue to keep our balance.”
The WTA made a decision in 2008 to grow the brand in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, and with the Shenzhen announcement it would now have nine tournaments in the region.
WTA founder Billie Jean King said it was “absolutely incredible” to witness the growth of the season-ending event.
“Shenzhen will be a fantastic home for the WTA Finals,” she added. “The record setting [US]$14 million purse set for Shenzhen reflects the global strength of our sport, and how Shenzhen and China have embraced women’s tennis.”
Key players welcomed the move and the boost in money they could earn.
Maria Sharapova said the championship was heading to a place “that’s willing to grow the sport.”
“If you look at the numbers ... you want to go to a place that’s willing to invest in women’s tennis. That’s where we’re headed to,” she said in Melbourne. “They were the ones that put the money on the line. They are willing to grow our sport. They’re willing to build a stadium, willing to accept the game, and its level and the players. We want to go where the growth will be.”
The WTA Finals were first played in 1972 with Shenzhen becoming the 10th different host city.
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