The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Public Investment Fund (PIF) have unveiled a multi-year partnership that is meant to grow women’s professional tennis and inspire more women and girls around the world to take up the sport. As part of the agreement, PIF will become the first-ever naming partner of the WTA Rankings, the highest official rankings for women’s pro tennis players. In addition, PIF will work with the WTA to enhance existing initiatives and develop new opportunities for young players.
The news follows the recent announcement that the season-ending WTA Finals will take place in Riyadh for the next three years, starting in 2024. The new partnership with the WTA also mirrors the multi-year strategic deal that PIF and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the men’s tour, agreed earlier this year.
PIF, established in 1971, is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. In March 2015, the fund was placed under the direction of the newly formed Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), with Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as chairman.
