RIYADH, SAUDIA ARABIA – FEBRUARY 28: In this handout image provided by PIF, Massimo Calvelli, CEO, ATP (Sitting, Left) and Kevin Foster, Head of Corporate Affairs, PIF (Sitting, Right), Raffaella Valentino, VP Sales, ATP (Standing, Left), Daniele Sano, Chief Business Officer, ATP (Standing, Center Left), Mohamed AlSayyad, Head of Corporate Brand, PIF (Standing, Center Right), Alanoud Althonayan, Head of Sponsorships & Events, PIF (Standing, Right) unveil a new multi-year strategic partnership, marking a shared commitment to enhancing global tennis for players, fans, tournament organizers and stakeholders at all levels of the sport on February 28th, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by PIF via Getty Images)
PIF via Getty Images
The word is finally out that the ATP global tennis street is being widened to include a KSA ZIP Code. Saudi Arabia has secured a Masters 1000 tournament on the men’s tour, the first addition to the top-tier circuit since the series program began in 1990.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) came to an agreement with the ATP through its sports and leisure spin-off, SURJ Sports Investment. It’s a partnership estimated to be worth $500 million. The first serve on this outdoor, hard-court event is slated for 2028.
The deal builds on a pre-existing strategic alliance between the PIF and the main men’s and women’s tours, becoming the only global naming partner for both the ATP and WTA in 2024.
The announcement was discussed in a media roundtable by Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the ATP, and the CEO of SURJ, Danny Townsend. Although there was no definitive decision on the placement of the tournament at this point, it is likely that it will be early in the season after the Australian Open. Doha and Dubai are part of the current Asian swing in February and there would have to be some entwining with the WTA schedule there.
“The difficulty is that the calendar is a bit of a puzzle. If you move a piece, then you have to move another,” said Gaudenzi. “There are too many variables right now to say exactly when, but we should be able to announce finer detail by the end of next year after review.”
Riyadh has just hosted the Six Kings Slam, selling out its 8,000-seat allocation for the final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 30 minutes. Netflix aired the overall three-day event globally with the current men’s top four all taking part. Sinner took home $6 million as the winner. The Gulf can give out funds for fun.
Riyadh currently hosts the WTA finals up until 2026, taking on a three-year deal after the ill-fated 2023 Cancun experience. It is also established as the ATP Next Gen host in Jeddah up to 2027.
“From a Saudi perspective, we want to put on a show,” said Townsend. The Six Kings Slam certainly dd that with some striking holograms and camera angles last week to stoke the senses. The tennis roadshow is another jewel in the crown for a country that is making its mark on elite sport.
“We’ve done it with Formula 1, and we are going to be the new kid on the block alongside the other nine events that have been doing this for 35 years. We have proven that we are innovative and that comes with the culture of Saudi Arabia,” said Townsend, who led the minority stake in sports streaming service DAZN earlier this year to create opportunities for major sports broadcasts in the Gulf kingdom.
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 22: Joao Fonseca of Brazil poses for a photo with the Next Gen ATP Finals Trophy after winning the Men’s Final match on day five of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF at King Abdullah Sports City on December 22, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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One of the strengths of the ATP Tour is its global flavor, although adding another 1000 event might raise some eyebrows as stars continue to limp towards the finish line in 2025. The intensity of the schedule on both tours has been outwardly questioned by the top players, but Gaudenzi confirmed that all stakeholders had been consulted over a two-year period.
“We went through a long process of consultation with the tournament board reps and the player board reps. This hasn’t been decided overnight,” said the Italian. He also insisted that players were independent contractors and were free to choose which events to play. The new edition to the series will not be mandatory.
What will take a little longer is the unification of the ATP and WTA into one entity, which is the stated goal. A commercial merger between the two would certainly simplify the rather splintered versions of tennis that lead to disparity and disputes about player welfare, money, and other scheduling matters.
“We believe that tennis is best served under single governance. At the moment, we are like a city that has seven councils with the ITF, the Grand Slams, the Davis Cup and so on. Having everyone in the same room would certainly improve the vision, design and strategy of the product,” Gaudenzi said.
For the time being, Saudi Arabia is muscling in on the tennis net with laser focus and light shows.