The crème de la crème of women’s tennis meet in Riyadh for the showdown of the 2024 WTA Finals, promising intense emotions and great spectacle. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek emerge as top favorites, but nothing is certain in an event where there will be many media spotlights and uncertainties that could change women’s tennis.
There is no better way to close out a season on the women’s circuit than with the top eight players in the world battling it out in matches to conquer the 2024 WTA Finals. A new setting and compelling behind-the-scenes stories spice up the tournament taking place from November 2 to 9, where Iga Swiatek aims to defend her title, Aryna Sabalenka strives to confirm her great form, and the other players aim to prove they can pose a strong challenge to this duopoly. These are the main questions to be answered and the most prominent motivations:
1. Can Iga Swiatek regain the freshness in her game after a prolonged break?
An unsettling mist has surrounded the Pole and her split from her coach of recent years, leading her to skip the entire Asian tour and take a much longer break than usual. It will be interesting to see if this disconnection has helped her to regain the motivation and magic in her game enough to defend her title.
2. Will Aryna Sabalenka hold onto the world number 1 ranking?
It’s evident that the Belarusian arrives with the best sensations for this final showdown and aspires to finish, for the first time in her career, as the world’s top player. Winning all three Round Robin matches would secure it for her, but there are many scenarios in her battle against Swiatek, detailed in another article.
3. Will the Americans provide a strong challenge to the established power?
It has been a season of ups and downs for both Cori Gauff and Jessica Pegula, capable of asserting themselves in top positions on the leaderboard and achieving significant successes, but without achieving that definitive leap in consistency and regularity. They have the game to beat anyone, and it will be interesting to see which playing style they display in Riyadh.
4. Will confidence and competitive rhythm drive Zheng and Paolini to explore their limits?
They are two of the players who have played the most matches in this last quarter of the year and have shown the most growth in status during this season. It will be their first participation in this tournament, attending without pressure, knowing that if they play their best tennis, they might have a great chance to make a breakthrough.
5. What can be expected from Rybakina and Krejcikova after their challenging past months?
Both represent the main question marks of the tournament. The Kazakh hasn’t played since her second-round loss at the US Open and announced the professional split with her controversial coach, Vukov. Meanwhile, the Czech has faced a string of defeats and performances inconsistent with her status as Wimbledon champion.
