Aryna Sabalenka has described Saudi Arabia’s sporting progress as “incredible” and said she is “super excited” to return to the Kingdom for the WTA Finals Riyadh, presented by PIF.
Sabalenka was the first player to book her place at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, thanks to another incredible season that saw her lead the PIF WTA Rankings all year. Among her four trophies in 2025 was a second US Open title for her fourth Grand Slam, having also reached the finals of the Australian Open and French Open.
The Belarusian star will now aim to add the WTA Finals Riyadh trophy to her collection when she takes part in the season-ending tournament from November 1 to 8 at the state-of-the-art King Saud University Indoor Arena.
This will be Sabalenka’s fifth consecutive appearance at the prestigious event, which features only the Top 8 singles players and Top 8 doubles players. She achieved her best result in 2022 when she came second. She reached the semi-finals in last year’s historic debut in Riyadh – the first ever professional women’s tennis tournament to be held in the Kingdom.
Sabalenka said ahead of the WTA Finals Riyadh, presented by PIF: “I’m super excited. Of course it’s easier if you qualify early in the season, but I’m super excited and honestly I can’t wait to get back. I love that place, I love playing there, and I hope I can do better this year than last year.”
Sabalenka will be in Riyadh mainly on business, and the tournament will see her face off against her biggest rivals. The full line-up has now been confirmed, with world number 2 and Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, world number 3 and French Open winner Coco Gauff, and world number 4 Amanda Anisimova. Also in Riyadh will be world No. 5 Jessica Pegula, world No. 6 Jasmine Paolini, world No. 7 Elena Rybakina and world No. 8 and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
However, the 27-year-old will also find plenty of time for fun; Sabalenka enjoyed exploring Riyadh during last year’s tournament and can’t wait to discover more of Saudi Arabia’s capital.
Sabalenka said, “I’m super excited; I have places I have to go! There was a Japanese restaurant [last year] which was really great. I love staying at the hotel, I really enjoyed my time there and I’m looking forward to coming back.
Speaking about her highlights from last year, the world number 1 added: “Going shopping was cool, also going to our friend’s restaurant was really great, the food was great. I didn’t play at my best, but my highlights were off the field.”
Hosting the WTA Tour’s biggest tournament and having superstars like Sabalenka play in front of Saudi fans are essential to the Saudi Tennis Federation’s overall strategy to inspire one million people to play tennis by 2030.
The opportunity to be inspired by the best players in the world is supported by a Saudi tennis ecosystem that is going from strength to strength. The number of registered tennis players has increased by 46% since 2019, while the Saudi Tennis Federation organized 77 local tournaments in 2024 – in addition to major international events such as the WTA Finals Riyadh and the ATP Next Gen Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah.
At the grassroots level, initiatives such as ‘Tennis for All’, in partnership with ‘Sports for All’, will introduce the sport to more than 53,000 children in 290 schools in eight cities by 2025. Progress is also evident at the elite level, with 79 Saudi players holding an international ranking, while the women’s national team has competed in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2023.
Sabalenka admits she is overwhelmed by the speed of progress tennis and other sports have made in Saudi Arabia and is excited to be able to make her own impact on the transformation.
She said: “It’s incredible what they do for sport and bring the biggest sports and the biggest athletes in the world to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is incredible, the project is insane and I’m very grateful to them.” [to be part of it].
“I’m glad I can be that inspiration for the next generation there. I think kids are super excited about sports, and you can feel that in the support they give. It’s incredible to help them build sports there.”
Sabalenka’s many fans will soon see her in action as she takes her place in the group stage of the WTA Finals Riyadh, where the eight players will be divided into two groups of four in a round-robin format. The top two will then advance to the knockout semi-finals. The total prize money is a record $15.5 million.
For information and tickets for the WTA Finals Riyadh 2025, please visit: webook.com.
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