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Cancun was named the venue for this year's
edition less than two months before it began on Oct. 29 and the
Mexico event drew heavy criticism from world number two Aryna
Sabalenka over the standard of organisation.
Multiple media outlets have said the Finals are set to move to
Saudi Arabia and the BBC reported that negotiations were in the
late stages with both parties keen on a multi-year deal.
"We are in discussions with various groups surrounding the 2024
WTA Finals and beyond and have not made any decisions at this
time," a WTA spokesperson said in an email.
"As with all WTA decisions, we are working closely with players
and focused on continuing to build a strong future for women's
tennis."
Shenzhen hosted the 2019 edition as part of a lucrative 10-year
deal but the event was cancelled the following year due to
COVID-19 and moved to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2021.
The tournament was expected to return to Shenzhen from 2022 but
the WTA suspended tournaments in China due to concerns over the
treatment of former doubles world number one Peng Shuai.
Fort Worth, Texas hosted the tournament that year and drew
sparse crowds.
The men's ATP Tour said in August its Next Gen Finals for
under-21 players would be held in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027,
marking its first official tournament in the Gulf state.
Saudi Arabia has pumped huge amounts of money into various
sports including soccer, Formula One, boxing and golf, with
critics accusing the country of using its Public Investment Fund
to engage in "sportswashing" over its human rights record.
The kingdom denies accusations of human rights abuses and says
it protects its national security through its laws.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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