"Barely six months out, no announced site for WTA Finals": Tennis journalist highlights reality on April fools day; Serena Williams' ex-coach responds

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs responded to tennis journalist Jon Wertheim after the latter highlighted that the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is yet to confirm the venue for this year's WTA Finals. The prestigious year-end event is around six months away.

Wertheim took to social media to point out the issue in a quiz-themed manner.

"Which of these is not an April fools joke: a) Federer to coach Djokovic b) Ivanisevic to coach Alcaraz c) Collins to reconsider retirement plans, given her A+ level d) Barely six months out, no announced site for WTA Finals, yet again....," the journalist wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

In her response, Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs wrote:

"WTA!"

In 2018, the WTA sealed a ten-year deal, reportedly worth $1 billion, for the year-end finals to be hosted in Shenzen, China from 2019 to 2028. However, the COVID-19 pandemic followed the 2019 WTA Finals, eventually halting tennis activities and the ten-year deal.

When tennis resumed, the WTA Finals found itself without a long-term home. Following its cancellation in 2020, the tournament returned in 2021 with Guadalajara as the location. Next year, it was held in Fort Worth. In 2023, the Mexican coastal city of Cancun hosted the event.

The 2022 and 2023 editions received strong criticism. Fort Worth was announced as the venue in 2022 barely two months before the tournament. As a result, there was very little time for the WTA to promote it and unsurprisingly, it failed to draw crowds.

In 2023, the WTA rejected lucrative offers from the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia and voted in favor of Cancun. Once again, the announcement was made late in September.

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"This was a slow-motion train wreck" - Serena Williams' ex-coach on the 2023 WTA Finals

The Billie Jean King Trophy on display at the 2023 WTA Finals

The 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun proved to be problematic on several fronts. For starters, the arena was opened for the players' practice on the tournament's first day. The unpredictable weather in Cancun, with frequent rains and gusty winds, was also an issue that plagued the event.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Stubbs took aim at the WTA on Racquet's Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

"It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say that we had highlighted a number of the issues, particularly on the WTA Tour. The truth is this (the 2023 WTA Finals) was a slow-motion train wreck," Stubbs said.

Iga Swiatek won the 2023 WTA Finals, defeating Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the title clash.