Coco Gauff's moment of glory was hard-earned. She had to fight numerous battles: Indifferent form, inner demons, Riyadh's sweltering heat and a rampaging opponent in China's Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.
The 20-year-old American displayed guts, gumption, and mental fortitude to come from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set to clinch the WTA Finals trophy a fortnight ago.
The triumph was a cataclysmic moment in tennis. Gauff walked home with an eye-popping $4.8 million in prize money-the largest sum awarded in women's sports and the highest earned by any tennis player, male or female, at a professional event.
Last month, world's top ranked male tennis player Jannik Sinner laughed his way to the bank, pocketing $6 million by winning the Six Kings exhibition tournament, which was staged in Riyadh.
These events underscore Saudi Arabia's vaulting ambitions to reshape the tennis landscape, with the oil-rich kingdom's deep pockets and strategic investments playing a key role in the sport's evolving narrative. And the vaulting ambitions are not confined to tennis.
This weekend, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise honchos will be jetting off to Jeddah for the mega IPL auction. Next year will see the Saudi Cup, a $20 million horse race, followed by the fifth consecutive Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix, further illustrating Saudi's unstoppable march in the world of sports.
"Sports is a multi-billion-dollar charm offensive," Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid AI Maktoum, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai since 2006, once said. Through sport, he believes he can improve the region's image and reduce its dependence on oil by driving tourism.
Neighbouring petro-states such as Qatar and Bahrain have also invested staggering sums to usher in a galaxy of sporting stars to their region.
Ronaldo, Messi
この記事は Business Standard の November 23, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Business Standard の November 23, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
False solutions for climate change
As the ghastly impacts of climate change become more visible in our everyday lives, it is hard to shake off the feeling that one must step up and do something constructive.
Expats to residents, Delhi's air is driving people out
Embassies have stepped up efforts to deal with the situation; WFH option has residents temporarily relocating to their hometowns
Making sense of census
For all marketing professionals working in large companies, the population census of India is a treasure trove of information.
MONEY CAN BUY YOU STARS
What's behind West Asia's multi-billion charm offensive to become a destination for all kinds of sports stars?
Ensure low tracking error, alignment with risk appetite
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) witnessed a sharp rise in subscriptions in October, with net investments totalling ₹13,441 crore, compared to ₹381 crore in the previous month, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
Strong order book to stand BEL in good stead
Brokerages mostly positive on the stock
Strong Q2, growth outlook drive gains for Info Edge
The stock of online classified major Info Edge (India) was up over 6 per cent on Friday on expectations of demand improvement for Indian IT companies.
Regulator nod to Roshni Nadar to acquire majority stake in HCLTech
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Friday gave nod to Roshni Nadar to acquire majority shareholding from her father Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Group, in two promoter group companies.
Green energy stocks fail to benefit from selloff in Adani Green
Six of the eight stocks operating in the green energy space declined on Friday, failing to benefit from the rout in Adani Green Energy's decline over the last two sessions.
NTPC Green Energy IPO booked 2.40x on Day 3
The initial public offering (IPO) of NTPC Green Energy Ltd, the renewable energy arm of NTPC, was subscribed 2.40 times on the closing day of the share sale on Friday.
