With nearly 54 years of history, the WTA Finals began in 1972, when Virginia Slims trailblazers and players aligned with the sport’s establishment competed in a 16-woman field. Over the years, the tournament has been held in different locations around the world, including Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since 2024. And now, just like that, it might be time for another switch-up, but the reaction from Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys might not be what you’d expect.

According to a report by Bounces, the WTA will not be renewing its three-year contract with the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) and is searching for a new host. The report also claimed that Charlotte is among the cities being considered to host the WTA Finals in 2027. However, when asked about her take on the matter, Pegula admitted to being informed about it.

“I obviously kind of knew the three years is going to be up… I’ve been a little informed, but not too much because I don’t think they have any idea where it’s going to be yet,” she told reporters at Charleston Open media day.

On the other hand, Keys feels that Charlotte could turn out to be a great location for the WTA Finals as there are loads of tennis fans in the city.

“I think it would be a great city to host just because you already have so many fans built in, and I think the city would just be so excited to be able to come out and support WTA,” she said during the media interaction.

Both Pegula and Keys had made it to the WTA Finals last year but had failed to clinch the prestigious title in Riyadh. While the former had made it to the semifinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Elena Rybakina, the latter had bowed out in the group stages after recording defeats against both Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova.

The American compatriots will soon be in action at the 2026 Charleston Open. Pegula will enter the tournament as the defending champion, having lifted the title last year by defeating Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 in the final. On the other hand, Keys had been knocked out in the Round of 16 by Anna Kalinskaya.

While Pegula will begin her campaign at the Charleston Open with a clash against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on April 1, Keys’ opponent for the first round is yet to be decided.

Coming back, the sudden decision to move the WTA Finals out of Saudi Arabia comes as a big surprise. The tournament had been a great success in its first two editions, and it was expected that the WTA would stick with Riyadh as the host for a few more years. WTA chief executive Portia Archer had also expressed an interest in extending their stay beyond the three-year contract that will end this year.

“We signed on for a three-year term; we’d actually enjoy being here for even longer than we have been, or than we are agreed to be here,” Archer had told The Athletic last year.

In fact, multiple players had spoken highly of the project last year. And one of them was the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had heaped praise on the organizers of the tournament.

“It’s incredible what they’re doing for the sport and bringing all the biggest sports and biggest athletes in the world to Saudi. Saudi is incredible, the project is insane, and I’m really grateful [to be part of it],” Sabalenka said.

Coco Gauff had also shared a similar sentiment:

“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 women’s professional event there. But from a player’s perspective, it definitely seemed like it was successful. I don’t know how it was logistically and all that, but from my experience, it seems successful. So I wouldn’t mind coming back in the future for longer than three years.”

Elena Rybakina had bagged the singles title last year at the WTA Finals by defeating Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 in the final match. This was her maiden triumph in the tournament, and it had seen her receive a hefty amount of $5.235 million as the prize money, out of a record prize pool of $15.5 million.

While the WTA Finals may be leaving Saudi Arabia, there is another major tennis tournament that the country is set to host in the coming years.

Saudi Arabia to host ATP Masters 1000 in 2028

It was announced in October 2025 that the ATP had partnered with PIF’s Surj Sports Investment to launch a Saudi Masters tournament. Its first edition is expected to be played in 2028, making Saudi Arabia only the tenth country to host an ATP Masters 1000 event.

This will also mark the first-ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in the ATP Tour’s 35-year history. With the Qatar Open and Dubai Championships already established tournaments, the Saudi Masters will serve as the third major tennis event from the Middle East.

“This is a proud moment for us and the result of a journey that’s been years in the making. Saudi Arabia has shown a genuine commitment to tennis–not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels. PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear, and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what’s coming. Strengthening our premium events is driving record growth and transformation across the Tour, and we’re grateful to our partners at PIF and SURJ for helping deliver that growth and sharing in this vision,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi had said on the announcement of the Saudi Masters.

This tournament will massively benefit tennis in Saudi Arabia as a whole.

However, do you think it is the right call to shift the WTA Finals from Saudi Arabia? Let us know your opinion in the comments!