Pegula was also sanguine as she said: “We’ve played many matches where there’s not many people. We’ve played all through Covid where there was nobody.”

But Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend pointed out on air that there are numerous countries in the world where the likes of Swiatek – a three-time major champion and former world No1 – would draw a significant crowd without any need for educating the local population in the attractions of the game.

In a statement, the WTA made the same point as Gauff, saying “We’re bringing tennis to a new audience and that takes time to build.” It also emphasised the “strong attendance at the opening day” and added that “We always anticipated lower attendance with the start of the Saudi working week on Sunday but anticipate that numbers will build as we approach the weekend.”

The atmosphere had certainly been lively during Saturday’s opening singles match between Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka, which the Belorussian won 6-3, 6-4 to extend her 100 per cent record against the Olympic champion.

‘The crowd was almost non-existent’

The stands were at least 70 per cent full for that match, with a Chinese majority that left Qinwen feeling like she was playing at home. However, numbers fell for Saturday’s evening match between Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina, while the doubles barely registered.

On Sunday, organisers were quick to mention that students are busy with exams in Riyadh – a disadvantage for an event staged at King Saud University’s indoor arena. It is expected, however, that the next four days will also see small crowds until numbers pick up again on Friday.

The previous two editions of WTA Finals, held in Texas two years ago and Cancun last year, both also suffered from poor attendances. But there was more of an excuse in those cases.

“Texas and Cancun were both arranged at the last minute,” said Henman, “whereas the announcement of Riyadh came back in April.

“I think the organisers have got to look at the lack of fans. The way that they’ve built the facility and looked after the players has been really impressive. But the allocation of tickets – I don’t think you can even call it a ticket sale, when this isn’t really a commercial operation – needs to be taken more seriously. Today, the crowd was almost non-existent.”