NEW YORK: The Public Investment Fund and the Women’s Tennis Association on Monday signed a multiyear partnership to support the growth of women’s professional tennis and inspire more females around the world to take up the sport.
The partnership also aims at enhancing and developing initiatives that support players at all levels.
As a global partner of the WTA, the PIF will become the first naming partner of the organization’s rankings, the highest official rankings for professional women tennis players.
And through the partnership with the WTA, the PIF will continue to be a catalyst for the growth of women’s sport, according to Mohamed Al-Sayyad, the fund’s head of corporate brand.
Al-Sayyad said: “We look forward to working with the WTA to increase participation and inspire the next generation of talent. 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.”
The PIF WTA rankings will track players’ journeys, and the PIF will work with the WTA to celebrate and support players’ progress.
WTA’s CEO Marina Storti said: “We are delighted to welcome PIF as a global partner of the WTA and our first-ever official naming partner of the 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.”
As part of its commitment to inspire youngsters, the PIF will work with the 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 PIF announced its partnership with the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) in February and became the official naming partner of the PIF ATP rankings. The PIF has now become the only global partner across both the WTA and ATP tours.
The new partnership between the WTA and the PIF follows the recent announcement that the season-ending WTA Finals will be hosted in Riyadh for the next three years, starting in 2024.
PIF, WTA sign multiyear partnership to speed up global growth of women’s tennis
https://arab.news/npthd
PIF, WTA sign multiyear partnership to speed up global growth of women’s tennis
- PIF will become first naming partner of the WTA rankings
- PIF to continue to be a catalyst for growth of women’s sport
Griekspoor stuns top-seeded Zverev, avenges French Open heartbreak
- It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German
- American Marcos Giron joined Griekspoor in posting his first win over a top-five player, upsetting fourth seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2
- Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion in this combined ATP and WTA 1000 event, eased through her opener 6-2, 6-0 against French veteran Caroline Garcia
INDIAN WELLS: Tallon Griekspoor stunned top-seeded Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells on Friday, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year.
Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017.
It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German.
That included a five-setter at the French Open in which Griekspoor was up a double break in the fifth in a defeat he called “absolute heartbreak.”
“It was such a mental thing. I played so many battles against him and had chances but they all went his way,” said Griekspoor, who claimed his first victory over a top-five player in his 19th attempt.
“I am incredibly proud of myself from this performance and to get it over the line,” the 28-year-old added.
Broken to trail 5-6 in the third set, Zverev saved five match points in a dramatic 12th game, finally converting his fifth break point of the game to force the tiebreaker.
But Griekspoor sealed it on his first chance in the decider.
The defeat in a tension-packed Stadium Court clash continued a lackluster run for Zverev since he fell to Sinner in the Australian Open final. Following that loss he has made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco.
“I always struggle against him,” Zverev said of Griekspoor. “He played a good match. There’s no question about that. But I have to look at myself a little bit, and it’s nowhere near where I want to be.”
American Marcos Giron joined Griekspoor in posting his first win over a top-five player, upsetting fourth seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2.
Russian Daniil Medvedev, runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz the past two years, moved on with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 71st-ranked Bu Yunchaokete of China.
Fifth-seeded Medvedev, bundled up against the cold desert night air with leggings under his shorts and long sleeves, dropped his serve to open the match.
But he broke back immediately and was never seriously threatened despite the wealth of long rallies.
“I’ll be surprised if he had more than five winners in the match,” Medvedev said. “I just knew that I have to put the ball in court and run.”
Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion in this combined ATP and WTA 1000 event, eased through her opener 6-2, 6-0 against French veteran Caroline Garcia.
“I’m happy that I was solid until the end, and I’m just happy that I adjusted to the conditions well,” said Swiatek, who played as the late afternoon temperture dropped and the breeze picked up.
“First matches are not easy, and didn’t know what to expect from Caro, but I’m happy that I could dominate from the beginning.”
Swiatek converted six of her nine break points and was broken only once in the 61-minute victory.
Fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula also powered through, beating Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2.
“Honestly, I think it was just handling the conditions,” Pegula said. “I felt like I was able to handle the side with the wind pretty well and really take advantage of using that for my serve ... and then just being a little gritty and digging out some tough points on the side that was against the wind.”
Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian, who became the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion in Dubai last month, battled back from 0-4 down in the second set to beat France’s 70th-ranked Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-4 in another windblown, error-laden late match.
Andreeva, seeded ninth, booked a third-round meeting with Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the woman she beat in the Dubai final.
Tauson advanced with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory over Colombian Camila Osorio, who had ousted four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round.
Women’s tennis players now are eligible for paid maternity leave funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF
- More than 300 players are eligible for the fund, which is retroactive to Jan. 1. The WTA would not disclose how much money is involved
- The WTA says 25 moms are active on tour; one, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic, won a title last month after returning from maternity leave in October
DUBAI: Pregnant players on the women’s tennis tour now can receive 12 months of paid maternity leave, and those who become parents via partner pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption can get two months off with pay, under a program sponsored by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and announced Thursday by the WTA.
“Independent contractors and self-employed individuals don’t typically have these kinds of maternity benefits provided and available to them. They have to go out and sort of figure out those benefits for themselves,” WTA CEO Portia Archer said. “This is really sort of novel and groundbreaking.”
More than 300 players are eligible for the fund, which is retroactive to Jan. 1. The WTA would not disclose how much money is involved.
The program — which the WTA touted as “the first time in women’s sports history that comprehensive maternity benefits are available to independent, self-employed athletes” — also provides grants for fertility treatments, including egg freezing and IVF.
It’s part of a wider trend: As women’s sports rise, there is an emphasis on meeting maternity and parental needs.
How many mothers are on the women’s tennis tour now?
The WTA says 25 moms are active on tour; one, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic, won a title last month after returning from maternity leave in October.
More and more pros in tennis have returned to action after having children, including past No. 1-ranked players and Grand Slam title winners such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka.
Azarenka — a member of the WTA Players’ Council, which Archer acknowledged played a key role in pushing for this fund — thinks these benefits will encourage lower-ranked or lower-earning athletes to take as much time off as they feel they need after becoming a parent, rather than worrying about losing out on income while not entering tournaments.
“That’s certainly one of the aims of the program: to provide the financial resources, the flexibility, the support, so that these athletes, regardless of where they’re ranked, but particularly those who earn less, will have that agency ... to decide when and how they want to start their families,” Archer said.
And, Azarenka said, this could lead some players to decide to become parents before retiring from the sport for good.
“Every feedback we’ve heard from players who are mothers — or who are not mothers — is like, ‘Wow, this is an incredible opportunity for us,’” said 2012-13 Australian Open champion Azarenka, whose son, Leo, is 8. “I believe it’s really going to change the conversation in sports. But going beyond sports, it’s a global conversation, and I’m happy that we’re (part of it).”
Other steps the WTA has taken in recent years to benefit players include steering more women into coaching, implementing safeguarding, attempting to stem cyberbullying, and increasing prize money with an eye to pay that equals what men receive in the sport.
What role does Saudi Arabia have in tennis?
The Public Investment Fund, or PIF, became the WTA’s global partner last year.
The kingdom now hosts the season-ending WTA Finals and an ATP event for rising stars of men’s tennis. The PIF sponsors the WTA and ATP rankings.
“We wouldn’t have been able to provide the benefits were it not for this relationship and the funding that PIF provides,” Archer said.
What are maternity leave policies in golf, soccer and basketball?
In golf, which like tennis is an individual sport without guaranteed salaries, the LPGA introduced an updated maternity leave policy in 2019 that lets athletes have the same playing status when they return.
In soccer, both the NWSL and the US women’s national team have collective bargaining agreements that allow for pregnancy leave and parental leave; the NWSL pays the full base salary while an athlete is pregnant.
In basketball, the WNBA’s CBA guarantees full pay during maternity leave.
For tennis, Azarenka said, the PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program is “just the beginning.”
“It’s an incredible beginning. Monumental change,” she said. “But I think we can look into how we can expand this fund for bigger, better things.”
Ex-Wimbledon champion Kvitova falls in Indian Wells first round
- Gracheva, 24, was full of admiration for her 34-year-old opponent, who lifted the trophy at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014
- In men’s action, China’s Bu Yunchaokete defeated American Nishesh Basavareddy 7-5, 6-4 to book a second-round match against Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev
INDIAN WELLS, Californa: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, on the comeback trail seven months after giving birth to a son, was ousted in the first round at Indian Wells on Wednesday by France’s 70th-ranked Varvara Gracheva.
The Czech, who welcomed son Petr last July, was playing her second tournament since her return from an 18-month maternity leave but remains in search of her first match win.
Wednesday’s match looked a lot like her loss to Jodie Burrage in Austin last week, with Kvitova unable to close it out after pocketing the first set.
Gracheva, 24, was full of admiration for her 34-year-old opponent, who lifted the trophy at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
“If you let me step back a little bit, I really want to congratulate her,” Gracheva said. “Because she had a child quite recently, and I’m so happy that she now has the role of a mother and a tennis player, which is very demanding. It’s very inspiring for sports, athletes, women — it’s just amazing.”
All 32 men’s and women’s seeds have first round byes in this combined ATP Masters and WTA 1000 tournament, the first leg of the US hard court “Sunshine Double” that will conclude in Miami.
Gracheva lined up a second-round meeting with ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian who ousted three Grand Slam winners on the way to becoming the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion in Dubai last month.
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who returned from a 15-month break last year after giving birth to daughter Shai in 2023, headlines the night session taking on Colombian Camila Osorio.
Japan’s Osaka, who won her first WTA title at Indian Wells in 2018, hasn’t played since the Australian Open, where she retired from her third-round match with an abdominal strain.
In other early matches, French veteran Caroline Garcia beat US wild card Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-4 to line up a second-round meeting with second-seeded defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Poland’s Swiatek, who also lifted the trophy in the California desert in 2022, is vying to become the only woman besides Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles, and the first woman to win more than two.
In men’s action, China’s Bu Yunchaokete defeated American Nishesh Basavareddy 7-5, 6-4 to book a second-round match against Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz the past two years.
Alcaraz is seeded second as he chases a rare three-peat. Germany’s Alexander Zverev is the top seed in a men’s field that is missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as he serves a three-month drugs ban but that includes Serbian star Novak Djokovic — chasing a record sixth title.
Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori, who revealed during the Australian Open that he almost quit tennis last year after lengthy battles with injury, defeated Spain’s Jaume Munar 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3) to line up a second-round match against 18th-seeded Ugo Humbert of France.
Nishikori was treated for a leg injury in the third set and then soldiered through cramp to close out the victory.
“It was not easy,” Nishikori said. “In the third set I was cramping pretty badly, but somehow I came back and won, so a very good match.”
In other men’s first-round action, Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild saved a pair of match points on the way to a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) victory over France’s Alexandre Muller.
Daniil Medvedev reaches Dubai quarterfinals, Marin Cilic also advances
- Medvedev, ranked No. 6, still reached the quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the 21-year-old Frenchman
- The Russian player was asked about facing serves exceeding 230 kph
DUBAI: Top-seeded Daniil Medvedev didn’t have time to think about how to return Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s blazing serves Wednesday at the Dubai Championships on Wednesday.
Medvedev, ranked No. 6, still reached the quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the 21-year-old Frenchman.
The Russian player was asked about facing serves exceeding 230 kph (143 mph).
“You don’t have any time so it’s pure reflexes and sometimes it makes life even easier because as I say, you don’t think much,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “If you don’t return it, you’re not even disappointed. There were some second serves that I missed, and I was disappointed. You just try to do your best, and I managed pretty well today.”
Medvedev, the Dubai champion in 2023, broke Mpetshi Perricard’s serve once in each set. The Frenchman committed twice as many unforced errors — 44 — as winners and didn’t create any break point opportunities.
Up next for Medvedev is Tallon Griekspoor, who advanced by beating defending champion Ugo Humbert 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion who eliminated second-seeded Alex de Minaur in the first round, moved into the quarterfinals by beating Alexei Popyrin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The 36-year-old Croat will face Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the last four.
Felix Auger-Aliassime survives feisty affair against Bublik to reach Dubai second round
- Canadian picks up a tour-leading 13th victory of the season
DUBAI: Underarm serves, a questionable VAR call, fiery competition, and a rowdy crowd: Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over Alexander Bublik in the Dubai first round on Tuesday certainly had it all.
Auger-Aliassime needed two hours and 49 minutes and four match points to overcome the unpredictable Bublik, who was a finalist in Dubai last year and is renowned for his trick shots and unorthodox playing style.
The opening-set tiebreak was particularly contentious between the pair as Auger-Aliassime requested video replay on a point that was awarded to Bublik. The Kazakhstani had hit an overhead which Auger-Aliassime attempted to reach but claimed he was hindered by the ball boy, who was in his way.
“So if you hit the fence, is it replay?” questioned Bublik from the other side of the net.
Chair umpire Miriam Bley sided with Auger-Aliassime and decided the point should be replayed.
Bublik was not happy with the call but play resumed. It was 6-6 in the breaker and Bublik was on his second serve. Instead of taking a safe route at such a crucial stage in the match, Bublik hit a sneaky underarm serve, which caught Auger-Aliassime by surprise and went unreturned, awarding Bublik a set point.
Bublik gestured to the crowd to get louder, feeling vindicated after the VAR call.
But his triumph was short-lived as he soon double-faulted to gift Auger-Aliassime the set.
It was the Canadian’s turn to rally the crowd behind him, as he mocked Bublik’s celebration from earlier and pointed to his ear with a smirk on his face.
The match ultimately went the way of Auger-Aliassime, who now owns a tour-leading 13 victories so far this season, alongside Alex de Minaur and Jiri Lehecka.
“It was a good match. I think entertaining for the crowd, for both players. And some good tennis as well. Some crazy shots on both sides during the match. So, yeah, high quality,” Auger-Aliassime told Arab News after the win.
The Canadian, who will next face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in round two, improved his head-to-head against Bublik to 3-2 overall and despite being familiar with his opponent’s antics, Auger-Aliassime admits he was taken by surprise a few times during the clash.
“Well, it’s not common, so you forget. And then I got caught a few times,” said Auger-Aliassime.
“And then I was like, ‘alright, this is the last time I get caught. So, I need to stay on my toes and be ready.’ That’s the challenge with him. It’s different. But I welcome and accept every challenge. And it’s good things, you know.”
Auger-Aliassime is enjoying a strong start to 2025, having already lifted two trophies in Adelaide and Montpellier in these opening few weeks of the season.
Dubai is not a typical stop on his calendar but with Doha getting upgraded to the ATP 500 level, Auger-Aliassime said playing back-to-back 500s in the Gulf made for a convenient schedule.
The 24-year-old credits the hard work he has been putting in with his team for his form this season, and is thrilled to see it finally paying off.
Highly-touted from his teen years, Auger-Aliassime had a breakout campaign in 2022, where he peaked at No.6 in the world rankings.
The Canadian entered the scene at a time where the legendary trio of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were still around and he has played each of them at least once.
Now, Auger-Aliassime has to contend with a different dominant force in the shape of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are both younger than him, and have been winning the majority of the big events on tour.
He explains the challenge he is currently up against in the men’s game.
“It’s different. Rafa, Roger, Novak were idols of mine growing up. These guys, I have a ton of respect for them and they’re unbelievable players, but they’re not my idols in a way,” he said, referring to Sinner and Alcaraz.
“They’re my rivals, my competitors, and they’re good guys too. So it’s good for the sport. That being said, I feel like obviously 18, 19, 20, I was in that group. You know, 22, six in the world and then had some difficulties.
“But it’s been interesting. It’s been interesting. I would have loved to keep on climbing the rankings, keep winning big tournaments. But I feel like as a person, these last two years taught me a lot, gave me a lot of important lessons that hopefully are going to serve me now in this next part of my career and in my future life as well.”
