Sabalenka, who won two major titles in 2024, arrived at last year’s WTA Finals atop the rankings, but lost her shot at WTA year-end No. 1 to Swiatek, who won their semifinal and demolished Pegula in the final.
Swiatek, who won a fourth Roland Garros title this season, has been off the court since losing in the US Open quarterfinals to Pegula, sitting out the Asian Swing and announcing both the firing of longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and the hiring of new coach Wim Fissette.
To get back to No. 1, Swiatek will likely need to win the title again to have any chance, as she currently trails Sabalenka by 1046 points. Should Sabalenka go undefeated in round robin play or reach the final with at least one round robin win, she will hold onto the top spot.
The 2024 WTA Finals will be held at the King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia following a series of one-off staging in Guadalajara (2021), Fort Worth (2022), and Cancun (2023), the latter dogged by criticism from players.
Round robin play begins Saturday, November 2, and the final will take place on November 9.
