WTA Finals to move from Singapore to Manchester in 2019?

SINGAPORE — The Republic is set to face a fierce battle for the rights to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals after its five-year deal ends in 2018. According to British media reports, the city of Manchester is a key challenger for the US$7 million (S$9.8 million) season-ender, which features the world’s top eight female singles players and doubles teams.

TODAY understands that several other cities in China and Europe have also expressed interest in hosting the tournament from 2019.

WTA chief executive officer Steve Simon confirmed Manchester’s interest on Monday (April 10). “We are talking to a number of venues interested in hosting the WTA Finals event for 2019 and beyond,” he said in a statement.

“We’re in the early stages of this process. Manchester is one of the several destinations that have reflected an initial interest in learning more about the opportunity.”

When contacted by TODAY, the Singapore Tourism Board and Sport Singapore said they are in preliminary discussions with WTA on hosting the WTA Finals beyond 2018.

Event promoter Lagardère Sports said via its spokesman: “We have enjoyed our partnership with the WTA for the past three years, and we are now focused on delivering the best ever BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global this October, and in the coming year."

London currently hosts the ATP Tour Finals, with its O2 Arena seeing annual spectator figures of over 260,000.

The inaugural edition of the WTA Finals Singapore in 2014 attracted some 93,000 fans to the Indoor Stadium. However, attendances took a dip in 2015 and last year after fan favourite Serena Williams skipped both editions. Maria Sharapova also missed last year’s event due to a doping ban.

Analysts said the Government’s decision on the WTA’s crown jewel will boil down to dollars and cents. Much will also depend on the WTA’s focus over the next few years.

An industry source, who declined to be named, noted that the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and WTA Finals have shown Singapore’s ability to host world-class sports events.

However, Singapore, with its small market, will face increasing competition from new venues in the region, particularly from China.

“The reality is the long-term sustainability of any event (in Singapore) that relies on local attendance will be difficult,” he said.

“Interest tends to wane after a few years, especially if the content doesn't refresh itself. Unfortunately as well, WTA is still a poor relation to men's tennis in terms of pulling a crowd. If this was the men's finals with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic then you could be certain the interest would be higher.”

Event organisers of the WTA Finals, he added, need to review pricing structures to build in more dynamic pricing and special promotions, as well as provide even more fan engagement and fringe activities in order to attract fans to the tournament.

However, a move to Europe could occur if WTA seeks a “fresh location” to expand its brand worldwide. The source said: “It was clear the WTA wanted to raise their profile in Asia, which it has done to some degree.

“The crowds in Europe would definitely be higher given the current profile of the leading players; the emergence of Johanna Konta, England's first top 10 ladies in decades, lends further weight to that.”

With the contract for the Singapore Grand Prix due to expire this year, CIMB economist Song Seng Wun believes all is not lost if the Republic loses both events.

“Look at mixed martial arts as an example, with its small but growing audience,” he said. “It may not have the global audiences of F1 and WTA but a number of small, growing events will make a difference.

“Every now and then, it’s good to refresh, pause and think about whether these events make economic sense because somebody has to fork out a lot of money to host them, and a lot of taxpayers’ money is being used.”