Garbine Muguruza has been forced to keep a close eye on the star names in women’s tennis ahead of the WTA Finals Riyadh.
Coco Vandeweghe has blasted the WTA schedule, which will culminate with the WTA Finals Riyadh next month.
Aryna Sabalenka is the number one player going into the tournament, having recently overtaken long-time number one Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek and Sabalenka are set for a thrilling battle in Saudi Arabia, where two-time Grand Slam champion Muguruza is tournament director.
The former world number one won the 2021 WTA Finals, and is now doing her utmost to prepare for a thrilling year-end competition.
Garbine Muguruza shares verdict on WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka and Swiatek are set to dominate the limelight, with most pressure on the former after her recent rise to number one.
Discussing the Belarusian on the WTA website, Muguruza said: “It’s the ultimate tournament, the last of the year, where you play for everything.
“It will be very interesting this year with [No.1] Aryna Sabalenka. It’s going to be interesting how she handles all this pressure.”
What did Garbine Muguruza think of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh?
Saudi Arabia is doing its best to raise the profile of tennis in the country, with Riyadh recently hosted the Six Kings Slam.
The likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz all took part, with the Italian emerging victorious.
Sinner says he didn’t play the Six Kings Slam for the money, with the world number one having clinched $6million for his success.
READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka reacts on social media after overtaking Iga Swiatek to become WTA number one
Riyadh is now preparing for the WTA Finals, where star names such as Sabalenka, Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will all be involved.
Tournament director Muguruza has now shared her plans for the event, having commentated on the Six Kings Slam earlier this month.
“It shows there’s a lot of interest in tennis in the Kingdom,” she said. “It was an exhibition, but ours is an official tournament.
“I’m really looking forward to it. We want to make it great so when they come back next year, they’ll be really excited.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
