Cancun was named as venue of the $9M WTA Finals "less than two months before it started" on Oct. 29Getty Images
The WTA has conceded that this year’s edition of the WTA Finals was “not a perfect event" and signaled “changes to the operation of the circuit after a series of complaints from top players about how they are treated,” according to REUTERS. In a letter to the players, WTA CEO Steve Simon said that the “late selection” of Cancun to host the WTA's showpiece tournament was "based on a number of complicated factors.” Simon wrote, “It is clear you are not happy with the decision to be here in Cancun. I understand that and you have been heard.” Cancun was named as venue for the $9M tournament “less than two months before it started” on Oct. 29. The complaints about the Cancun event have “brought to a head widespread dissatisfaction with the way the WTA has been managing the tour.” The Athletic reported that 21 of the best players in the world had “recently written a letter to Simon outlining their grievances.” The WTA's letter said that it “would consider several proposals to reduce the mandatory commitment of top players to participate in certain tournaments at its next board meeting” (REUTERS, 11/3).
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL: In London, Stuart Fraser wrote what is “supposed to be a showcase for the WTA Tour has turned into a humiliation” for Simon, but frankly, this “embarrassing flashpoint has been coming for some time.” Fraser noted for those who follow the WTA all year, it is “no surprise that the governing body of the women’s tour has ultimately been undone by the ineptitude of its leadership.” Fraser noted the WTA is “reactive rather than proactive” and one “key area in which the WTA has fallen woefully short is marketing.” While there is “no doubt” a “gulf in financial resources” between the men’s and women’s tours, sceptics inside the tennis world, wonder whether Simon is “doing enough to capitalise on his stars.” The likes of Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu have “emerged in recent years as some of the most marketable athletes in the world,” yet the WTA “struggles to show any financial signs of grasping this opportunity” (London TIMES, 11/20).
