#tbt: The Elite 8 that never was, plus 10 more ‘iconic’ WTA Finals photoshoots
All eyes are on Fort Worth, as tennis fans search through the most Instagrammable spots in the city to figure out the backdrop for one of the tournament's favorite traditions.
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With the WTA Finals field set and the tournament kicking off in less than a week, the Top 8 women’s players of the year are gearing up to go for one last big title.
As fans brush up on their fave’s stats in preparation, all eyes have turned to Fort Worth, TX—as tennis fans feverishly search through the most Instagrammable spots in the host city to figure out the backdrop for one of the event’s favorite traditions: the WTA Finals Iconic Photo.
Gathering the ‘Elite 8’ singles and doubles players in front of a scenic location before the event begins, the Iconic Photo serves as more than just a WTA Finals line-up shot: host cities love to show off beautiful spots in hopes of boosting tourism, while players take the opportunity to show off their personal style.
But for fans, the group photo always serves as a fascinating snapshot or a digital time capsule of a unique moment during the long WTA seasons.
Like in 2016, when the WTA Finals qualifying race came down to the wire between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Johanna Konta—resulting in this incomplete singles photo in Singapore…
In the end, Kuznetsova would go on to qualify on the last day of the season by winning the Moscow title—leaving Konta, who was already in Singapore, without a spot in the tournament. Ouch.
And that’s not the first time the WTA Finals’ signature group shot was derailed due to a late arrival.
In fact, it happened in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011—and as a result of the same player: Victoria Azarenka.
Fortunately for all parties involved, all eight of the singles players have been locked in heading into Fort Worth: Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina.
While we await news of this year’s location—and of course, the outfits—scroll through some of the most ‘iconic’ WTA Finals photos in recent years…
