As the 2021 season draws to a close, there is still time for some to battle it out for tennis’ largest prize pot at the WTA Finals.
Played annually at the end of the tennis calendar, the tournament predates WTA and started in 1972 as the Championship tournament of the tour’s predecessor: the Virginia Slims Circuit.
Commonly regarded as one of the most prestigious events of the year aside from the four Grand Slams, the WTA Finals is contested by the top eight players in the world, based on ranking points accumulated that year.
Last year’s tournament was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this season will be the 50th edition of the singles competition.
Here’s all you need to know about this year’s event:
What is it?
To qualify for the WTA Finals, players compete throughout the year in more than 53 WTA tournaments across the world, in addition to the Grand Slams.
Ranking points are issued to players at the end of every respective tournament, with the tour keeping track of this via a leaderboard. The top eight are then chosen to compete, though if someone withdraws, the next highest-ranked player is selected.
Qualified players participate in a round-robin format in two groups of four. The top two in each group advance to the semi-finals, before a winner is crowned in the final.