“We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia,” Grand Slam women’s champions Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova wrote in the Washington Post, posing a very important question. Should women’s tennis, which has advocated for women’s rights since time immemorial be held in a country infamous for its treatment of women. While that answer’s yet to be addressed by the WTA, fans have made their opinions loud and clear…

The poor attendance at the tournament—boasting a huge prize purse of $15.25 million (a $6.25 million increase from last year)—has surprised many in the tennis world so much so that the fans watching from home lost interest in the tournament. At a time when tennis is struggling to keep pace with the growing interest in Pickleball, this comes as a huge blow.

Just to give you an idea about the disappointing state, during the tournament’s second day, in the match between Barbora Krejčíková and Iga Swiatek, around 400 people were in attendance in the 5,000 capacity arena, despite ticket prices going as low as 32.50 Riyals ($8.66).

While Swiatek opined she “quite enjoyed the tranquility of the near-empty stadium”, former American pro Andy Roddick highlighted his concerns, saying, “A 100 people in the crowd is startling. Right. But if it was sold 80 percent through, then great. People in the seats is great for atmosphere. It’s great for the players because you want to feel that buzz, you want to feel that it’s an important event.” Surprisingly, even homegrown superstar Coco Gauff’s presence, and blistering performance, where she beat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (7-6, 6-3) to reach the event’s final, couldn’t deter general opinions.

Notably, this comes despite the 22-year-old talking about the Saudi-based venue’s significance. “Obviously, I’m very aware of the situation here in Saudi. I mean, my view on it is, I do think that sport can have a way to open doors to people. I think in order to kind of want change, you have to see it. I think sports, for me, I would say, is the easiest way to kind of introduce that…We spoke with a lot of women here in Saudi. One of them was Princess Reema. Multiple calls with her, how the best approach would be to enter into this different place that women have never kind of, women from U.S., have never kind of been in,” she had said in a media presser before the finals.

The WTA, on the other hand, seemed exceptionally optimistic about the situation, as they stated in a press release: “We always anticipated lower attendance with the start of the Saudi working week on Sunday but anticipate that numbers will build as we approach the weekend. There is a great atmosphere and support from the fans. 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. Our aim is to grow the WTA Finals and build attendance over the term of the three-year partnership. What we are sure of is that everyone who comes will enjoy exciting tennis and a great experience.”

But does this do anything to convince fans? Not really.

Fans reveal harsh truth about the WTA Finals despite Coco Gauff’s finals appearance

Fans took to social media to express their displeasure at the low attendance numbers at the event, before the start of the final match between Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng. A section of fans highlighted this glaring issue which, according to them, discouraged them to watch the matches. A fan wrote on X, “I gave it a miss – not keen on the location and the pics of the near empty stadium just felt dull. At least last year’s venue gave rise to some iconic photos. I will be watching the ATP tour finals tho…the atmosphere in Turin last year was fab.”

On the other hand, some fans weren’t happy with Saudi Arabia being given the hosting rights. Sporting bodies have been much criticized for choosing money over everything else, and the WTA has received the flak as well in recent times. The fans have had a go at the governing body for the choice of venue. One of them mentioned, “No. Will not support any event held in S.A.” The sparse crowd in the tournament has brought down questions if people in Saudi Arabia are really interested in tennis. With barely a handful of fans attending the event, it doesn’t do the tournament any good. One of the X users made a blunt revelation and said, “The only match that matter is the final, that being said this is a pointless tournament. Go on the street ask normal people if they know what it is and they be like what are u talking about.”

Despite the poor attendance, the players have given it their all to bring some respite to the fans who are watching the matches from afar. One of the fans felt pity for the players as their efforts didn’t get that much of spotlight with the tournament recording a low turnout. The comment read, “You can’t replace an atmosphere, it’s sad for the players who deserve much better support.” 

Well, the players don’t seem to mind, as along with Swiatek, Sabalenka also gave out a positive opinion about the empty stands. “I’m really enjoying the atmosphere,” she had said.

On the contrary, a section of fans felt that the players were only concerned about the huge prize money at the event and not by the lackluster turnout. Calling out the likes of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, one fan said, “Players are playing only for the paycheck. lackluster.”

After the tournament, the WTA might want to conduct a fair review of the tournament in order to solve these glaring issues before the next edition. Nonetheless, the question mark still remains whether the tournament should’ve been moved to Saudi Arabia or not. What do you think?