The WTA Finals carries nearly 54 years of history, having begun 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 just like that, it might be time for another change.

According to a report by Bounces, the WTA will be departing from Saudi Arabia after this year and is already looking for a new host. It further claimed that even though talks were held between the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF), they ultimately decided not to renew their deal to hold the tournament in Riyadh.

The report further stated that the WTA Finals are likely to be played in North America from next year. The city that has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Riyadh and host the showcase event is Charlotte. However, nothing is final as of yet, and the negotiations are still ongoing.

This development comes after WTA chief executive Portia Archer earlier expressed interest in extending the WTA’s stay in Saudi Arabia and renewing the contract.

“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.

This will be a big setback for the STF, as the opening two editions of the WTA Finals in Riyadh had proven to be a major success. In fact, multiple players had spoken highly of the project last year. And one of them was none other than 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 move out of Saudi Arabia after this year, not all hope is lost, as the country will be hosting a major tennis tournament in 2028.

Saudi Arabia set to host ATP Masters 1000 event in 2028

It was in October 2025 that it was announced that the ATP Tour would partner with PIF’s Surj Sports Investment to launch a new Masters 1000 tournament, set to be played in Saudi Arabia as early as 2028. This will mark the first-ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category in the ATP Tour’s 35-year history. Additionally, the country will become just the tenth ATP Masters 1000 host.

This tournament could turn out to be a breakthrough moment for tennis in Saudi Arabia, as it would reach an audience far beyond the American and European markets. It will join the Qatar Open and the Dubai Championships as the third major tournament in the Middle East.

One of the players who had expressed support for the Saudi Masters was World No. 2, Jannik Sinner.

“I believe this is the first time a Masters 1000 has been added to the calendar. From my experience in that country, the population is very young, and the market could become very large. I see it positively, let’s see what it will bring to us players,” he had told Tennis Gazette.

With the tournament still being two years away from officially kicking off, it remains to be seen where it will be placed on the ATP calendar.