400 People Showed Up to WTA Saudi Final With $15 Million Purse

The 2024 WTA Tour Final features the top eight women’s tennis stars, a purse of $15.25 million, and a minimum first-place prize of $3.77 million—more than any Grand Slam tournament this year. But the event is struggling to fill an arena with a capacity of just 5,000. 

It’s Year 1 of a three-year deal for the WTA Tour to play its final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sunday’s matches at the King Saud University Indoor Arena—which featured World No. 2 Iga Świątek against 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková and a showdown of U.S. stars Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula—drew around 400 fans, according to The Athletic. 

Sunday is a work day in Saudi Arabia, but even the previous day’s matches were reportedly able to fill only about three-fourths of the stadium. Many of the most engaged attendees during Saturday’s contest were supporters of China’s Zheng Qinwen. 

Ticket prices for the Sunday leg of the WTA Tour event were reportedly less than $10. 

WWE also tapped Monday Night Raw at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh on Sunday—and while there were no reports of the exact attendance at the arena that fits about 22,000, footage from the event showed a lively crowd in a packed arena. 

WTA’s Response

Saudi Arabia’s desire to become a destination for major sporting events has been well documented and has come with a ton of criticism due to the country’s history of human rights atrocities, particularly against women. However, WTA CEO Portia Archer brushed off the criticisms before the beginning of the tournament.

“We often play in environments and in countries that have different customs, different cultures, and in some cases different value systems than I might have personally or that the WTA may have as an organization based in the United States,” Archer said.

In regard to the poor attendance for its opening games, the WTA released a statement focused on growth in the coming years.

“It’s important to remember that this is the first time a WTA event has been held in Saudi Arabia, so we’re bringing tennis to a new audience and that takes time to build,” the statement read.

The statement also pointed out that Sunday is a work day, and that the WTA expects the numbers to “build” entering the weekend—which is on Friday and Saturday in the country.

The Saudi Pro League, which spent $1 billion in the summer of 2023 to recruit pro soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, has also recorded underwhelming attendance numbers. The average attendance for the SPL for the 2024–2025 season is under 8,500 per match.