The era of tennis led by Venus and Serena Williams was one of a kind and is likely not to be seen again. The stadiums were always filled with spectators who wanted to witness the dominance of the two. While the sport progressed in terms of achieving equal prize money for both men and women in recent years, it seems like it has not yet matched the levels of audience attraction.

In a recent interview, tennis legend Serena Williams highlighted a concerning side of the current viewership status of WTA matches. Remembering her own experience, Williams mentioned the notable difference in attendance when she and her sister Venus competed, “If I wasn’t at a tournament or Venus wasn’t at a tournament, the attendance was just different,” Serena said.

Comparing it to modern-day attendant numbers when stalwarts like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and more are playing, the stands are in a different state. Serena acknowledged the electrifying atmosphere of the US Open, although admitting the serious pressure it brought at the same time. Her return to Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2022 drew a record-breaking crowd of 29,402 fans, adding a clear justification to her point.

Interestingly next year, “Both the men’s (28,804) and women’s championship (28,143) sessions were the highest-attended championship sessions in US Open history,” per usopen.org.

Serena’s statement not only highlighted the immense crowd attraction with her presence but also indirectly pointed at the lack of craziness in the current scenario. Looking at the current era, emerging stars like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff rule in a system where it is normal to witness empty seats in arenas.

Although these players possess remarkable talent, they still struggle with the challenge of building a comparable fan base.

Iga Swiatek expresses disappointment over empty seats in the WTA Finals arena

The number of spectators keeps varying across different WTA tour events. Among the ones that recorded some notably low numbers, the WTA Finals 2023 revealed a disappointing reality. The event that was staged in Cancun, was seen with several empty seats, which was not only annoying for the authorities but also became a concerning situation for the players.

Coming forward to highlight the issue, world no.1 WTA star Iga Swiatek expressed her disappointment. “It’s a shame that we don’t have a full stadium like we can’t really feel like we’re on a tennis celebration for the whole week,” Swiatek stated, despising the fact that there were several empty seats in the arena.

Although several execution issues were highlighted during the tournament, the news still came out to raise an alarm for every WTA player.