The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and WTA announced on Monday a multi-year partnership that will support their shared ambition to grow women’s professional tennis and inspire more women and girls around the world to take up the game.
The partnership will also boost and develop initiatives that support players at all levels, said PIF in a statement.
“As a Global Partner of the WTA, PIF will become the first-ever naming partner of the WTA Rankings, the highest official rankings for women’s professional tennis players. The PIF WTA Rankings will track players' journeys, and PIF will work with the WTA to celebrate and support players' progress and their inspirational, unique stories,” it added.
In addition, as part of its commitment to inspire youth, 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.
In February 2024, PIF announced its partnership with the 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. PIF 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 the WTA and PIF follows the recent announcement that the season-ending WTA Finals will be hosted in Riyadh for the next three years, starting in 2024, and featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the race to the WTA Finals.
“The WTA partnership adds to PIF’s growing sponsorship portfolio, which focuses on investing in people, initiatives and partnerships; and embraces the brand’s four strategic pillars: inclusivity, sustainability, youth and technology. This partnership aligns with numerous other PIF initiatives that focus on women in sport,” stressed the statement.
Mohamed AlSayyad, Head of Corporate Brand at PIF, said: “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.”
“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.
Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, 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,” she stated.
PIF’s program of sponsorships uncovers new potential, investing in people, initiatives and partnerships that drive positive impact on the global stage. PIF is a catalyst for transformation globally, uplifting and enhancing sport for players, fans, tournaments and stakeholders at every level.
