Like watching tennis? You're in luck. One of the foremost organizations for the sport, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), announced last Thursday that its annual finals will be held in Shenzhen from 2019 to 2028, AP reported.
China's taste for tennis has grown considerably over the last few decades, helped along by celebrity athletes like Li Na. And for the WTA, the deal was sweetened by an offer of USD14 million in prize money, double the size of the previous pot, to be divided among the top eight finalists in both singles and doubles.
Shenzhen's Gemdale Corporation will also build an approximately 450 million dollar stadium with 12,000 seats in the city's "downtown area," according to the New York Times.
READ MORE: World's Top Tennis Stars to Attend 2017 China Open in Beijing
Since 2014, WTA finals have been held in Singapore. Other past sites include New York, Los Angeles, Munich and Madrid.
The PRD, however, is no stranger to the sport. This past month, internationally-famous players such as Maria Sharapova battled it out on Shenzhen courts for a WTA tournament, with Simona Halep finally emerging victorious. Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Hong Kong also host tournaments that are part of the WTA circuit.
On the WTA's move, Sharapova commented, “You want to go to a place that’s willing to invest in women’s tennis. That’s where we’re headed to.”
READ MORE: Li Na on Retirement and What She Misses About Tennis
[Cover image via Sports Illustrated]
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