"Establishment is out to get Coco Gauff!"; "It's over for Maria Sakkari" - Fans amused by changes in points system for WTA Finals 2024

The WTA has adopted the points system used by the ATP finals for the WTA Finals. From 2024, the losers of a match at the WTA Finals will not be awarded any ranking points as they used to get earlier. Some fans have shared their view that it is a welcome change. The WTA also amended the points system for WTA 250 events. Earlier, players earned 280 points for winning a WTA 250 event, while from this year onwards, they earn 250 points.

At the WTA year-end championships, the top eight players who qualify are divided into two groups of four. Each player plays three round-robin matches before the top two from each group advance to play in the semifinals. Under earlier rules, the winner of a round-robin match earned 250 ranking points while the loser gained 125.

An undefeated WTA Finals champion now has the potential to earn 1500 points with 750 up for grabs in the group stage, 400 for winning the semifinals, and 500 for winning the final. Players will earn no ranking points if they lose all three round-robin matches, instead of earning 375 points like they used to earlier.

A fan on X (formerly Twitter) posted information on changes to the WTA finals:

In the replies to this post, some fans felt it was a welcome change, while others felt that particular players would lose out.

One fan said:

"The establishment is out to get coco!!!! First they changed the points for 250s so she lost points when defending her Auckland title, and now they want her to drop 500 points bc they know she’s in bad form! I see u @/wta."

"It’s over for Sakkari," another fan wrote.

"Oh they’re cooking in the WTA now iktr!," a third fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions to changes in the WTA Finals' point system.

"Y’all this is what has been keeping Sakkari in the Top 10. What will she do now the money is gone," one fan wrote.

"Well finally. 375 points for 0 wins…if anyone awards points for a loss in a RR event it should be something like 10 or 20 points per match and no more 125 was way overboard. Like slams giving 10 points for a R1 loss," another fan wrote.

"The fact that going 0-3 at the WTA Finals and winning a 500 weren't that much difference points wise was one of my least favorite things in tennis, this is a great adjustment. Also this year changed 500s and 1000s to actually be worth.. 500 and 1000 points, so good changes," yet another fan wrote.

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Maria Sakkari's performances at the WTA Finals

Maria Sakkari at the 2023 WTA Finals. (Image: Getty)

Maria Sakkari has qualified for the WTA Finals for the past three years. She was seeded fourth in 2021 and won two of her round-robin matches, against Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, to qualify for the semifinals. The Greek lost in the last-four stage against Anett Kontaveit.

In 2022 Sakkari reached the semifinals, as the fifth seed. She won all three of her round-robin matches, against Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, and Sabalenka, before losing to eventual winner Caroline Garcia in the semis.

However, last year, eighth-seed Sakkari had a Finals to forget as she lost all three of her round-robin matches.