The Season’s Final Stretch: WTA Finals Preview & Paris Masters Kickoff
This week on Ground Pass, Nick and I are diving into the final stretch of the 2025 tennis season — the point where everything feels a little heavier, the travel has taken its toll, and players are hanging on for one last big run.
We start with the WTA Finals, which are set once again in Riyadh. For the second year of its new three-year contract, the Finals finally feel like they’re settling into a home. We break down the full field — Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, Pegula, Keys, Paolini, and Rybakina — and reflect on how four American women in the top eight marks a real moment for U.S. women’s tennis. Rybakina’s last-minute surge to qualify (and Andreeva’s heartbreaking miss due to visa issues) made for one of the most dramatic season finishes in recent memory.
We also talk about what it means for the Finals to be in Saudi Arabia — the complicated realities of sportswashing, player choice, and the WTA’s push for a permanent home — and what to expect from this year’s format, matches, and doubles field.
On the men’s side, it’s the Paris Masters: the last ATP 1000 event of the year, held at a new venue after last year’s scheduling chaos. Carlos Alcaraz is back (and blonde again), Sinner looks strong, and Joao Fonseca’s rise continues to be one of the most exciting storylines of 2025. We also touch on the wave of late-season retirements and withdrawals, with players clearly feeling the grind.
Other topics include:
The ATP’s new Saudi Masters starting in 2028
Challenger prize money increases for 2026
The Davis Cup controversies surrounding Jannik Sinner and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Belinda Bencic’s incredible comeback season, climbing from outside the top 400 to No. 11
It’s been a long year — but as the tours close out 2025, the stories are only getting better.
