Final Four
What do Bangalore, Doha, Istanbul and Monterrey have in common? They all made the “semis” in the review for which city would host the 2008-2010 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships. It’s clearly a “long way baby” from the old days when not only did the United States dominate the WTA Tour, but also served as the host of the Tour Championships. For years, the year-end tournament was held in New York City at Madison
Square Garden, home to the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers. But times have changed in the tennis world and as evidenced by the poor showing by American men at Roland Garros this year, tennis is truly becoming a global professional sport. It’s exciting to see that growth, especially on the WTA Tour, in countries such as India, Turkey and Mexico, and regions such as the Middle East, where female athletes and women in general have not historically had the same opportunities as their male counterparts. The choice was a difficult one, but Doha was selected in the end. The city of Doha and country of Qatar will benefit enormously. At the same time, Doha, as the host city for 2008-2010 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships will have a great responsibility to show that its country can promote and support such a major global tennis event. The 2008 season-ending Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships will also feature record prize money of $4.45 million matching the ATP Masters Cup Finals purse for the first time. Istanbul has also been selected to host the 2011-2013 year-end Championships. Cheers to the tennis world for offering them that challenge.
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