“Barely six months out, no announced site for WTA Finals”: Tennis journalist highlights reality on April fools day; Serena Williams’ ex-coach responds

Rennae Stubbs, the former coach of Serena Williams, addressed Jon Wertheim, a tennis journalist, in response to his mention of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) still not confirming the location for the upcoming WTA Finals, which is scheduled to take place in about six months.

Wertheim used social media to cleverly highlight the problem through a quiz-like approach.

“Which of these is not an April fools joke: a) Federer to coach Djokovic b) Ivanisevic to coach Alcaraz c) Collins to reconsider retirement plans, given her A+ level d) Barely six months out, no announced site for WTA Finals, yet again….,”the journalist wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Rennae Stubbs, the ex-coach of Serena Williams, wrote in her response:

“WTA!”

Despite sealing a ten-year deal worth $1 billion in 2018 to host the year-end finals in Shenzen, China from 2019 to 2028, the WTA’s plans were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic which halted tennis activities following the 2019 WTA Finals.

After the resumption of tennis, the WTA Finals faced the challenge of finding a permanent location. After being cancelled in 2020, the tournament made a comeback in 2021 in Guadalajara. The following year, it was held in Fort Worth, and in 2023 the event was hosted by the Mexican coastal city of Cancun.

The 2022 and 2023 editions were heavily criticized due to Fort Worth being announced as the venue only two months before the tournament. This left the WTA with very little time to promote the event, resulting in low attendance.

In September of 2023, the WTA once again rejected lucrative offers from the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia and voted in favor of Cancun. The announcement was made late in September, just as it had been the previous year.

Former Coach of Serena Williams Reflects on the Chaotic 2023 WTA Finals

The 2023 WTA Finals faced multiple challenges during its time in Cancun. Right from the beginning, the players’ practice sessions were hindered due to the late opening of the arena on the first day. Additionally, the event was constantly affected by the unpredictable weather in Cancun, which brought regular bouts of rain and strong winds.

After the tournament ended, Stubbs criticized the WTA on Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

“It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say that we had highlighted a number of the issues, particularly on the WTA Tour. The truth is this (the 2023 WTA Finals) was a slow-motion train wreck,”Stubbs said.

In the title clash, Iga Swiatek defeated Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 to claim victory at the 2023 WTA Finals.