"Big shout out to Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula"- Andy Murray's mother Judy thanks WTA stars for taking part in children's tennis clinic in Saudi Arabia
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Hsieh Su-wei were the big names headlining the tennis clinic at the 2024 WTA Finals. Judy Murray, the WTA Finals Community Ambassador and former ATP star Andy Murray’s mother, was quick to thank them for taking out time to encourage children to take up the sport.
A collaboration between the Saudi Special Olympics, the WTA, and the Saudi Tennis Federation, the tennis clinic was a part of efforts being made to achieve the bigger goal of getting one million people to play tennis by 2030.
Taking to social media after the event, Murray outlined the goals in her Instagram post with photographs from the tennis clinic featuring Gauff, herself, and other WTA stars that took part.
"When you get the chance to run a fun tennis clinic on center court at the WTA finals with 24 young people from Special Olympics Riyadh and some of the worlds best players join in," Judy Murray wrote.
"Another part of the community engagement program. The Saudi Tennis Federation aims to have 1m people playing the game by 2030," she added.
Murray went on to give a special shoutout to not just Gauff, but also Pegula, and other WTA Finals participants including Gabriela Dabrowski, Erin Routliffe, Hsieh Su-wei and former players Alicia Molik, Vania King — all of whom interacted with children during the event.
"Big shout out to Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Gaby Dabrowski, Erin Routliffe, Su Wei Hseih, Alicia Molik, Vania King for being so brilliant," Judy Murray wrote.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek headline WTA Finals field
The American duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will headline this year’s WTA Finals alongside the top two seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, who is also the defending champion.
Pegula and Gauff have landed in the Orange Group and will play each other in their first round-robin encounter. The group also features Swiatek and reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Across the draw in the Purple Group, Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns with the likes of Elena Rybakina, as well as 2024 breakout stars Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen.
The doubles field will be led by Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, who will take on Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez, and Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the Green Group.
The Orange Group, meanwhile, will feature Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, and Chan Hao-ching and Veronika Kudermetova.