Czech organisers of the bid to take the WTA Finals to Prague and Ostrava are furious to have lost out to Cancun. Say they did not even get told Cancun had won and calls the WTA "complete dilettantes". isport.blesk.cz/clanek/tenis-t…
Czech stars won't have home WTA Finals as organisers left frustrated: "They didn't even let us know that it would be played in Cancun"
WTAFriday, 08 September 2023 at 21:30
WTA
announced that the upcoming Finals will be held in Cancún, ruling out the
possibility of hosting it in Ostrava.
Businessman
Tomas Petera granted an interview after losing the bid to host the WTA Finals.
The Czech Republic had hoped to have the event in Ostrava and potentially in
Prague in the coming seasons, but their candidacy was unsuccessful, and the
tournament will ultimately take place in Cancun, Mexico.
Hosting the
finals in Ostrava would have allowed for the likely presence of Czech tennis
players such as Marketa Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova, ranked 6th and 7th in
the Race, respectively, while Petra Kvitova was in the tenth spot, which
qualifies the top eight players of the year.
Additionally,
Iga Swiatek's participation in Ostrava would have been beneficial, considering
its proximity to Poland, the home country of the world No. 1.
"Our
project promised to have sold out or at least quite full theaters in Ostrava
and Prague. It seems that with the participation of four Czechs, the Poles
would feel for Iga Šwiatek. I gathered sponsors and presented a very attractive
budget."
"They
got two options. According to one, it was only this year's edition in Ostrava.
And according to the second, the tournament would move from Ostrava to Prague
for the next four seasons, where we offered up to fifteen million dollars in
rewards for female players, six million dollars as a WTA fee and covering all
costs."
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The Czech
businessman was also asked if the WTA saw him as a serious contender, and
Petera commented that, based on his information, the tournament will be held in
Saudi Arabia in the coming years:
“The other
day, Steve Simon (WTA president) asked us for some clarification and
reassurance. We convinced the government to guarantee the launch of Belarusians
and Russians under the given conditions that apply throughout Europe. And then
I just got an indirect message. Simon himself did not speak at all.”
"According
to my information, the WTA is going to award the hosting for the next years to
Riyadh. At the same time, the regime in Saudi Arabia is not very compatible
with the principles of the WTA. The rights of women and minorities are not
respected there. And the idea that Martina Navrátilová would present the award
in Riyadh? It's a mockery!'
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