"I don't know how else to say it" - Tennis insider bemoans lack of crowd in Coco Gauff-Jessica Pegula match during inaugural WTA Finals in Riyadh
The first-round match between Coco Gauff against Jessica Pegula at the WTA Finals in Riyadh witnessed a very small crowd at the stadium on November 3, 2024. A tennis insider has expressed his dismay over the low turnout.
Gauff is currently gearing up to compete in her second match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh after trouncing Pegula. She dominated the game to win 6-3, 6-2, and will now face World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on November 5.
The match between Gauff and Pegula in Riyadh drew a sparse crowd of just 400 spectators, as reported by The Telegraph. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared his thoughts about the crowd. He shared The Telegraph's post that mentioned the crowd attendance. Rothenberg wrote,
"This just really bums me the heck out, I don't know how else to say it.☹️"
Gauff has recently been in good form, as she has won 10 out of her last 11 matches. She took home the China Open title against Karolina Muchova and reached the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, where she was bested by Aryna Sabalenka.
After winning the match against Pegula in the first round of the WTA Finals, the American opened up about competing against Swiatek. She said that the number of matches she has played recently can help her game against the Polish player. She said (via Forbes),
"I've had a little bit more matches recently than maybe she (Swiatek) has so that could affect the outcome."
She added that playing the Pole was "always tough" and she would look to focus on her own game.
Coco Gauff opened up about her thoughts on Western media's coverage of the Middle East
In an interview with The National on the sidelines of the WTA Finals, Coco Gauff opened up on her thoughts on the Western media's coverage of issues in the Middle East. The American player said the media had a "double-standard." She said,
"Being a person of colour, living especially where I live, it's definitely a double standard. Like I feel it, and not even being from here, but just even as a tennis player in this space, I feel like people are over critical of me because of that. I don't like to always deep dive into it, because then it opens a lot of doors. But yes, I do feel that. And yes, I do know, being from especially America, like we’re not saints either."
She further spoke about her decision to go to Saudi Arabia for the WTA Finals.
"So I do think that in general, it is a very over-critical situation. And for me, I have no problem with criticism, but you have to be able to see your own faults. That's why I think for me, when I made the decision to come here [to Saudi Arabia], I wanted to see how it is for myself. And when you look at history, and you look at the changes that have been made, there's always going to be backlash and opposition to it."
If Coco Gauff wins her match against Iga Swiatek, it will be her 52nd win in WTA events this year.