WTA Finals 2024 Preview: Everything you need to know about the year-end tournament in Riyadh
The 2024 WTA Finals are almost here, with the top players from the season set to go head-to-head one more time this year.
And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know about the biggest event of the year outside the Grand Slams:
What are the WTA Finals and how do they work?
The WTA Finals signal the end of the 2024 season, with the eight best singles players and doubles teams participating.
To qualify players must either be in the top seven in the race for the year or a Grand Slam champion and still inside the top 20 of the 2024 race.
Both the singles and doubles events begin in a round-robin format, being split into two groups of four based on seeding.
Each player/team will compete against one another, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals, where the group leader will play the second placed in the other and vice versa.
From this point on, the semi-final and final matches will be played in a traditional knockout format with a WTA Finals champion being crowned.
When are the 2024 WTA Finals?
This year’s WTA Finals will get underway on Saturday 2nd November at 3:30pm local time (12:30pm GMT), with two singles and doubles round-robin matches taking place daily until Thursday 7th November.
On Friday 8th November things will step up a gear with the semi-finals, before both the singles and doubles finals take place on Saturday 9th November to close out the 2024 WTA season.
Where are the 2024 WTA Finals going to be held?
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be the host of the WTA Finals for the first time this year and will do so until 2026.
The tournament will be held on indoor hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.
تعالوا نشهد أفضل المحترفات عالميا على أرضنا 🤩😍🎾
افتتحنا الملعب بحضور قادة التنس رئيس الاتحاد السعودي للتنس أريج المطبقاني، ومدير البطولة غابرينا موغوروزا مع أفضل لاعبات العالم في أرينا جامعة الملك سعود🏟️
Get ready to join the action-packed finals in Riyadh!😍🎾
We… pic.twitter.com/JQOVQ3PSCQ
— WTA FINALS RIYADH (@WTAFinalsRiyadh) October 30, 2024
Who is playing at the 2024 WTA Finals?
The singles draw has been split into the Purple Group and the Orange Group.
Aryna Sabalenka headlines the Purple Group, in her first tournament since returning to the top of the WTA rankings, and stands in good stead to end the year as World No.1.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was a WTA Finals runner-up back in 2022, and will be hoping to go one better this year in the Saudi capital.
N1…. Let’s see for how long this time 🙌🤞❤️
— Sabalenka Aryna (@SabalenkaA) October 21, 2024
However, the Belarusian faces tough competition in the Purple Group alongside tournament debutant Jasmine Paolini, the returning Elena Rybakina and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Meanwhile, the Orange Group is led by defending champion Iga Swiatek, who will be playing her first tournament since the US Open after withdrawing from the Asian swing.
Now in an unfamiliar position as World No.2, Swiatek needs to retain the title to have a chance at reclaiming the top spot in her first tournament joining forces with new coach Wim Fissette.
Some news ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/mqnctA4OJP
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) October 17, 2024
Swiatek will be joined in the Orange Group by American’s Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, as well as Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who received qualification to her second WTA Finals as a result of her triumph at SW19 earlier this year.
In the case of any withdrawals, Daria Kasatkina and Danielle Collins will be waiting to take their place as alternates.
There’s only one Diriyah ✨
There will be only one singles champ 🏆#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/njWzh6HGkZ
— wta (@WTA) November 1, 2024
While in the doubles event, the eight teams are separated into the Green Group and the White Group.
Jasmine Paolini features once again after her breakout season in 2024, partnering with compatriot Sara Errani as the fourth seeds.
The Italians will take their place in the White Group, being joined by Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, as well as Veronika Kudermetova and Chan Hao-ching.
And the Green Group also features a stacked lineup, including three of the four Grand Slam winning teams from this season.
The top seeds are US Open champion’s Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, who are joined by Australian Open winners Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens, last year’s runners-up Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez, and Wimbledon champions Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
Alternates in the doubles event are Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, followed by Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani.
Showing up and showing out 🤩#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/Zg69LydqbS
— wta (@WTA) November 1, 2024
READ MORE – WTA Finals 2024 Lineup Confirmed: Who is heading to Riyadh
How many ranking points are on offer at the 2024 WTA Finals?
With it being an exclusive event for top players, there are a maximum of 1500 ranking points on offer if a player goes unbeaten to the title.
Here is a breakdown of the potential points available for both singles players and doubles teams:
| Stage | Ranking Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Singles and Doubles | ||
| Champion | RR + 900 | |
| Runner-up | RR + 400 | |
| Round robin (RR) win per match | 200 | |
What is the prize money for the 2024 WTA Finals?
With the tournament moving to Saudi Arabia this year, the prize money has risen by nearly 70% from 2023 upto a colossal $15,250,000.
And this is how both singles and doubles players can get a share of that:
| Stage | Prize money | |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | Doubles* | |
| Champion | RR + $2,500,000 | RR + $520,000 |
| Runner-up | RR + $1,270,000 | RR + $255,000 |
| Round robin (RR) win per match | $350,000 | $70,000 |
| Participation Fee (If they play all three matches) | $335,000 | $140,000 |
| Alternates (If they play two matches) | $250,000 | $106,000 |
*Per team
Previous winners of the WTA Finals
In Cancun last year, Iga Swiatek handled the windy conditions better than anyone else and thrashed Jessica Pegula in the final to claim her maiden WTA Finals title.
While in the doubles tournament there was a more surprising champion, with Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva beating Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to the title.
Another fun fact about the WTA Finals this year is that former champion Garbine Muguruza is the tournament director, after announcing her retirement back in April.
Here are all of the champions from the past 10 years of the WTA Finals:
| Year | Location | Singles Champion | Doubles Champions |
| 2013 | Istanbul, Turkey | Serena Williams (4) | Hsieh Su-wei & Peng Shuai |
| 2014 | Singapore | Serena Williams (5) | Cara Black (3) & Sania Mirza |
| 2015 | Singapore | Agnieszka Radwańska | Martina Hingis (3) & Sania Mirza (2) |
| 2016 | Singapore | Dominika Cibulkova | Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina |
| 2017 | Singapore | Caroline Wozniacki | Timea Babos & Andrea Hlaváčková |
| 2018 | Singapore | Elina Svitolina | Timea Babos (2) & Kristina Mladenovic |
| 2019 | Shenzhen, China | Ash Barty | Timea Babos (3) & Kristina Mladenovic (2) |
| 2020 | Not held due to the Covid-19 pandemic | – | – |
| 2021 | Guadalajara, Mexico | Garbine Muguruza | Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova |
| 2022 | Fort Worth, USA | Caroline Garcia | Veronika Kudermetova & Elise Mertens |
| 2023 | Cancun, Mexico | Iga Swiatek | Laura Siegemund & Vera Zvonareva |
How can you watch the 2024 WTA Finals?
You can watch the WTA Finals on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Tennis Channel in the United States of America or on beIN Sports in Australia.
For more information on how to watch the star studded event in your location, visit the official WTA website here.
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