This year's WTA Finals are being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time, and the prize money on offer is huge.
There was much controversy about Saudi Arabia hosting the WTA Finals because of the country's poor human rights record, including women not being treated equally to men.
Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert wrote a letter opposing the move to host the prestigious year-end event in the country, saying values should come before money.
However, others point to laws introduced in recent years that have improved women's rights and argue that engagement with Saudi Arabia by showing top female athletes is more likely to bring further positive changes.
Regardless of one's opinion on the increased Saudi influence in tennis and sport as a whole, it cannot be denied that the country's government offers vast amounts in prize money at the tournaments it hosts.
The Six Kings Slam exhibition for ATP players proved that. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune participated in that event.
All six men were given a participation fee of $1.5 million. That meant Medvedev and Rune collected that amount despite playing and losing one match against Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively.
Sinner won the largest paycheck in tennis history, $6 million, after beating Alcaraz in the final, but the Italian insisted he does not play for money despite receiving that extraordinary sum for three victories in the exhibition.
Unsurprisingly, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, Qinwen Zheng, and Barbora Krejcikova will also compete for massive sums in Riyadh.
The 2024 WTA Finals champion will receive $2,500,000 and 500 ranking points for winning the final. Iga Swiatek only lost one game last year to win the 2023 iteration of the tournament, held in Cancun, Mexico.
That triumph also sealed the year-end No. 1 ranking for Swiatek, overtaking Sabalenka. The pair will battle for that spot again at the 2024 Finals, although Sabalenka is a heavy favorite to claim it this year.
The two players who triumph in the semifinals are set to receive $1,270,000 and 400 points for that achievement. Securing a six-figure sum for one win is a significant financial incentive for the eight players.
Each woman will play three round-robin matches. Sabalenka can guarantee the year-end No. 1 ranking if she wins all her matches at that stage, even if the 26-year-old loses in the semifinal.
Players will be rewarded with 200 ranking points and $350,000 for every round-robin victory at the WTA Finals, meaning a maximum of $1,050,000 can be won at that stage.
All eight players are also guaranteed $335,000 just for participating, and the two on-site alternates, Daria Kasatkina and Danielle Collins, will have $140,000 added to their bank accounts.
If any of the players manage to win the 2024 WTA Finals without losing a match, they will secure an incredible $5,155,000. Although the year-end tournament is one of the most significant events in tennis, that is still an astounding sum.
| Points | Prize Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Undefeated champion | 1500 points (overall) | $5,155,000 |
| Final win | 500 points | $2,500,000 |
| Semi-final win | 400 points | $1,270,000 |
| Round-robin win | 200 points (per win) | $350,000 |
| Participation fee | $335,000 | |
| Alternate | $140,000 |