The big women’s tennis championship, the WTA Finals, is moving to Saudi Arabia for the next 3 years! The matches will be held in their capital city, Riyadh.
This decision comes after a lot of talk about where the event would be held next. Saudi Arabia’s leaders are excited to host such a prestigious tournament, hoping it will inspire young Saudi women to get involved in tennis.
This isn’t the first time Saudi Arabia has gotten into big-time sports. They’ve been investing a lot of money recently in sports like soccer, golf, and even Formula One racing. However, some people are critical of this approach.
They say Saudi Arabia is just trying to improve its image by hosting these events, while still having issues with human rights. Saudi Arabia denies these accusations, saying they are simply following their laws.
On a brighter note, the prize money for the WTA Finals will be the highest ever this year, at a whopping $15.25 million! That’s a 70% increase from last year.