Aryna Sabalenka amazed by 'incredible' Saudi sports scene and is 'super excited' for 2025 WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF

• World No. 1 headlines the prestigious season-ending tournament, from 1-8 November 2025
• Sabalenka expresses her 'love' for Saudi Arabia and can't wait to inspire more local children to play tennis
• WTA Finals Riyadh is a flagship event in the Saudi Tennis Federation's mission to inspire one million into tennis by 2030

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 October 2025: Tennis superstar Aryna Sabalenka has described Saudi Arabia's sports progress as 'incredible' and said she's 'super excited' to return to the Kingdom for the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

Sabalenka was the first player to book her place at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, thanks to another incredible season that has seen her lead the PIF WTA Rankings for the entire year. Among her four trophies in 2025 was a second US Open title for her fourth Grand Slam having also reached the finals of the Australian Open and the French Open.

The Belarusian star will now aim to add the WTA Finals Riyadh trophy to her collection when she competes in the season-ending tournament from 1-8 November at the state-of-the-art King Saud University Indoor Arena.

This will be Sabalenka's fifth consecutive appearance at the prestigious event, which features only the Top 8 singles players and Top 8 doubles players. Her best result was achieved in 2022 when she placed runner-up. She reached the semi-finals at last year's historic debut in Riyadh - the first ever professional women's tennis tournament to be staged in the Kingdom.

Speaking ahead of the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, Sabalenka said: 'I'm super excited. Of course, it's easier when you qualify early in the season, but I'm super excited and honestly, I cannot wait to get back. I love that place, I love to play there, and I hope that this year I can do better than I did last year.'

Sabalenka will be in Riyadh primarily for business, and she will face her biggest rivals at the tournament. The full lineup is now confirmed, featuring World No. 2 and Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, World No. 3 and French Open winner Coco Gauff, and World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova. Also in Riyadh will be World No.5 Jessica Pegula, World No. 6 Jasmine Paolini, World No. 7 Elena Rybakina, and World No. 8 and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

However, the 27-year-old will also find plenty of time for pleasure; having enjoyed exploring Riyadh during last year's tournament, Sabalenka can't wait to discover more of Saudi Arabia's capital.

Sabalenka said: 'I'm super excited; I've got places to go! There was a Japanese restaurant [last year] which was really great. I love staying in the hotel, I really enjoyed my time there and I'm excited to come back.

On her highlights from last year, the World No. 1 added: 'Going shopping was cool, also visiting our friend's restaurant was really great, the food was amazing. I didn't play my best, but my highlights were away from the court.'

Staging the WTA Tour's biggest tournament and having superstars like Sabalenka playing in front of Saudi fans are vital to the Saudi Tennis Federation's overall strategy to inspire one million into tennis by 2030.

The opportunity to be inspired by the world's best players is supported by a Saudi tennis ecosystem that is growing from strength to strength. The number of registered tennis players has increased by 46% since 2019, while the Saudi Tennis Federation hosted 77 local tournaments in 2024 - in addition to huge international events like the WTA Finals Riyadh and the ATP Next Gen Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah.

At the grassroots level, initiatives like 'Tennis for All', in collaboration with 'Sports for All', introduced the sport to more than 53,000 children at 290 schools in eight cities in 2025. The progress is evident at elite level, too, with 79 Saudi players holding an international ranking, while the women's national team has been competing in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2023.

Sabalenka admits she has been blown away by the speed of progress tennis and other sports have made in Saudi Arabia and is delighted to make her own impact on the transformation.

She said: 'It's incredible what they're doing for the sport and bringing all the biggest sports, and biggest athletes in the world to Saudi. Saudi is incredible, the project is insane, and I'm really grateful [to be part of it].

'I'm happy to be that inspiration for the next generation there. I think kids are super excited about sport, and you can feel it through the support they're giving. It's incredible to help them to build sport there.'

Sabalenka's many fans will soon see her in action when she takes her place in the WTA Finals Riyadh group stage, where the eight players will be divided into two pools of four in a round-robin format. The top two will then advance to the knockout semi-finals. The total prize money sits at a record $15.5 million.