Despite WTA Finals Controversy, Coco Gauff’s $4.8 Million Bag Highlighted in Defense of Saudi-Tennis Deal

The tennis season may have concluded, but the chatter surrounding its highs, lows, and controversies is far from over. From gripping moments on the court to heated debates off of it, there’s been no shortage of drama. One topic that’s been particularly polarizing? The decision to host the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Amid concerns over the venue, Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, has stepped in to set the record straight. Storti firmly defended the move, pointing to one standout example: Coco Gauff’s incredible payday.

The American tennis sensation played some remarkable tennis in Riyadh and defeated some top contenders like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Qinwen Zheng to lift the glorious title. However, one major concern throughout the tournament revolved around the WTA’s decision to host the tournament at a venue that lacked a major audience for the sport. However, Storti has now come forward to defend the decision. 

In an interview with SportsPro, Storti revealed that there were three main objectives in focus for the tournament. It included onboarding a strategic partner that could help deliver a world-class event, boost rewards for players by increasing their prize money, and help in the growth of the sport in general. According to Storti, Riyad, “delivered on all three of those objectives.” To validate her statements, she pointed out that the whopping$4.8 million won by Gauff in November was the highest prize money in the history of women’s sports.

For the unversed, Coco Gauff’s payout surpassed the record of the highest prize money at a women’s tennis event and outshined the $4.42 million mark that Ashleigh Barty earned during the 2019 WTA Finals in China. Besides Gauff, the runner-up of the tournament, Zheng, also returned home with a cheque of $2.305 million, thereby justifying Storti’s claim, who also highlighted that the attendance at the tournament was not concerning as suggested by many.

Expressing that the WTA was “delighted” over audience turnout, Storti said, “It was two-thirds capacity attendance and they sold out the finals.” Continuing further, she added, “It’s an eight-day event, you’re going to expect some variation every day. And also, it was the first year.” Interestingly, several experts shared contrasting perspectives earlier.

A report by The Telegraph showed that the stadiums with an occupancy of over 5000 people, were not even 10 percent filled. There were merely 400 people watching the match on November 3rd. This was also slammed by British veteran Tim Henman who remarked, “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.” But now, Storti is seemingly painting a different picture of the scenario. And despite the criticism that the WTA faced this year for the choice of venue, Marina Storti is confident of a successful partnership with the Saudi Arabia Tennis Federation in the long run. 

Marina Storti optimist about strong partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation

Several players and experts expressed their concerns about the WTA Finals moving to Saudi Arabia. Even Coco Gauff shared mixed reviews playing at the venue and said I” would be lying to you if I said I had no reservations,” adding that “If I felt uncomfortable or it felt like nothing’s happening, then … I probably wouldn’t come back.” However, Storti is confident that the partnership will the women’s tennis body to open more revenue sources and take the sport to a new set of audience. 

Speaking in the same interview, she said, “Our plan is a broad-based plan for delivering commercial revenue growth. We’re not relying on any single source.” Continuing further, she added, “I would also say that, for us, working with the Saudi Tennis Federation in Riyadh is really good for the future of the sport, because you are growing new fans, so you’re not relying on only the current markets, but you’re creating new markets, a new fanbase. So we actually see that as broadening our sources of growth, as opposed to being over-reliant on a single one.”

While only time will tell how beneficial the decision turns out to be, it will be interesting to see how the tennis world reacts when more tournaments are scheduled at the venue in the near future.