WTA Signs Multi-Year Partnership With Saudi PIF

By: Gyang Dakwo

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Monday announced the signing of a multi-year partnership to support the growth of women’s professional tennis globally.

The deal is set to enhance initiatives that support players at all levels of the sport and inspire women and girls from around the world to take up the game.

“Through our partnership with WTA, PIF will continue to be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport. We look forward to working with the WTA to increase participation and inspire the next generation of talent,” Head of Corporate Brand at PIF, Mohamed al-Sayyad, said in a statement.

“Underpinned by PIF’s four strategic sponsorship pillars, this partnership aligns with our ambition to elevate the game and bring positive growth to the sport around the world,” he added.

As a global partner of WTA, PIF will become the first-ever naming partner for WTA Rankings, the highest official rankings for women’s professional tennis players, the Saudi investment fund said in the statement.

The PIF WTA Rankings will track players’ journeys, and PIF will work with WTA to celebrate and support players’ progress and growth.

In addition, as part of its commitment to inspire the youth, PIF will work with WTA to expand existing initiatives and develop new opportunities for young players, providing a significant boost to the game’s next generation of stars.

The CEO of WTA Ventures Marina Storti said: “We are delighted to welcome PIF as a Global Partner of WTA and our first-ever official naming partner of WTA Rankings. Together, we look forward to sharing the journey of our talented players across the season, as we continue to grow the sport, creating more fans of tennis and inspiring more young people to take up the game.”

In February 2024, PIF announced its partnership with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and became the official naming partner of the PIF ATP Rankings.

PIF has now become the only global partner across both the WTA and ATP Tours.

It has also partnered with combined WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid, in addition to the Beijing WTA 1000 and ATP 500 events.

The new partnership between WTA and PIF follows the recent announcement that the season-ending WTA Finals will be hosted in Riyadh for the next three years, starting 2024.