The WTA Finals will pitch a tent in North Carolina in late 2027 as the roving wrapup to the season settles in for a three-year-run in Charlotte.

The WTA revealed the venue on Wednesday, with the southern US due to stage three editions.

The event highlighting the top eight points finishers in singles and doubles for the season has had something of a “homeless” problem since the Covid  pandemic in 2020 when it was scrapped for that season after fulfilling only the first year of a multi-edition contract in Shenzhen, China..

This season’s conclusion will be staged at Indian Wells, the Californian venue for an ATP-WTA Masters 1000 played each March.

Fears are growing that the desert chill of a November night may mean unsuitably cold temperatures which could affect play.

The finals have been staged at five eclectic venues in the six editions since 2021:  Guadalajara, Mexico, Fort Worth, Texas, Cancun, Mexico and Riyadh, Saudi (twice).

The upcoming Indian Wells edition is just another place-holder for a Tour which is reportedly running low on corporate cash but struggles on.

The event will be played at the home of the NBAs Charlotte Hornets, from 2027-2029.

“The multi-year partnership will give the WTA greater opportunity to shape the experience and identity of one of its most important assets, deepen relationships with fans and commercial partners, and build a championship platform designed to grow alongside women’s sport,” a PR release read.

“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” said WTA chairwoman Valerie Camillo.

“We have an opportunity now to lead by building a championship experience that reflects just how far women’s sport has come and where it is going next.”

“We want to create the Super Bowl for women’s sports. And not just the competition, but an event that is the annual gathering for women’s tennis, women’s sports, and women’s sport business.”

Main photo: WTA Tour Finals were previously played at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China

Iga Swiatek claimed a WTA trophy for the first time in nearly a year as the former world No. 1 lifted the title at the Toronto Masters on Thursday 6-2, 6-3 over Elena Rybakina.

With her first title since last September in Asia, the six-time Grand Slam winner returned to form.

She also completed a matched set of North American tournaments, with trophy success at Indian Wells (2022, 2024), Miami (2022), US Open (2022), Cincinnati (2025) and now Canada.

She set the record as the youngest to complete the feat.

“I want to dedicate this title to everyone who is dealing with judgment or hate,” Swiatek said.

“Keep pushing, keep growing, keep focusing on yourself and always remember what is ahead and might be possible.” 

Since failing to win a title this season, the introverted Pole has come under increasing career pressure, dealing with the stress through her own travelling team psychologist.

But victory in Canada will go a long way to silencing the doubters.

“I’m really happy about this tournament. It means so so much to me,” Swiatek said. “These past months were not easy. 

“I’m really happy I kept focusing on growing, changing my game a little bit, improving… despite all the opinions many people have about me every day on the internet.”

She added: “It’s not easy to deal with all of that. I’m happy the reality is different. 

“The reality is that I have people that know me so well and people that support me. They’re here to give their best work. Just keep pushing. you know.”  

Swiatek will move up from eighth to sixth in the world as a result of her victory while Rybakina remains No. 2 behind Aryna Sabalenka.

Novak Djokovic turned 39 on Friday and celebrated by putting a lid on his chances of lifting a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros.

The fourth-ranked icon arrives in Paris after losing his pre-Paris only match in Rome after suffering with injuries throughout a dismal spring and missing around two months of play.

“It’s been a lot of hours on the court trying to perfect the game and the body

and enable myself physically and game-wise to be ready for best-of-five (sets),” he said.

“I don’t know whether that’s going to be the case for the entire
tournament, however long that tournament will be for me.

“Grand Slams have always (headed) the priority list, particularly in the last couple of years. 

“So I always try to aim to be at the peak of my own abilities to perform well in Grand Slams.I can’t wait to get on a court and start competing.”

Djokovic said that a “higher force” kept him from playing over the majority of the spring clay season, and admitted to doubts that he would even be ready to compete in Paris.

“I wanted to play more, but my body was not allowing me. I was going through rehabilitation process for my injury (reportedly a shoulder, though he has never said…)

“After Indian Wells (early March) , it was, yeah, just not possible for

me to compete for several months.’

He added: “I really wanted to go to Rome to give it a shot and try and see how I feel. I was far from being ready to compete, but still, I needed at least that one match just to have the score called by the chair umpire and have
experience of the nerves.

“Thankfully, the response of the body and the preparation has been positive in the last 10 days, so here I am, and we’ll see what happens.”