Singapore triumph signals far east shift on WTA TourEver since a 116 million strong Chinese audience watched Li Na win Roland Garros in 2011, it has become clear that the WTA has wanted to explore the Asia-Pacific market.
Earlier in the year, WTA CEO Stacey Allaster stated: "She (Li Na) is the most important player of the decade for me". A statement with a clear vision towards a bright future that the Wuhan resident could inspire. This year on May 8 it was announced that the WTA's flagship event, the WTA Championships, would move to Singapore. The move underlines a clear focus on the region with earlier calendar changes meaning that China will stage five WTA events from next year onwards. The championships will be played at the 7500-seat Singapore Indoor Stadium after staving off rival bids from Tianjin, China and Monterrey, Mexico. When asked by the BBC about the focus on the Asia-Pacific market, Allaster acknowledged the plans of the WTA. "That was definitely one of the elements behind our decision. "We want to enhance and grow our strategy in the region, with a focus on south-east Asia." With Europe, North America and Australia hosting the four majors, the logical home for the next biggest event on the calendar should be in another region and it would be foolish for the WTA not to take advantage of Li Na's success and appeal. After hosting the event previously in Istanbul and Doha, the WTA have kept in line with their system of taking the tournament to growing markets. A move which boosts the popularity of the sport and hopefully, in turn, participation. The burning question is how do fans feel about the change, with the event leaving North America and Europe for just the second time in its 40 year history? Is the WTA right to move away from its traditional roots in search of global popularity or should they stick to their trusted, established markets? Have your say in our poll and tweet your views to Net Talk Tennis' Tom Allen. |
WTA CEO Stacey Allaster at the Singapore hosting announcement
View WTA Championships Destinations in a larger map Reaction on Twitter to the announcement of the new host city
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