Saudi Arabia to host new ATP tournament from 2028

Beginning in 2028, Saudi Arabia will host a new ATP Masters 1000 tennis event.

Another indication of the Gulf state’s growing pull will be a 56-man field competing in a one-week competition, which will likely take place in February.

Saudi Arabia hosts the WTA Finals and the Next Gen ATP Finals, and its Public Investment Fund (PIF) serves as the official naming partner for both the ATP and WTA rankings.

The new tournament will not be required because players are so concerned about the length of the season and how many games they compete in.

According to ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, “we are dealing with players who are independent contractors, so they are ultimately free to choose their own schedule.”

They also perform outside the system, which was just revealed last week at the Saudi Arabian Six Kings Slam exhibition.

I do agree that the off-season is too brief for the players, but I also believe it is too brief for the fans, who will need to take a break from our sport at some point.

Since the concept’s conception in 1990, the Masters 1000 category has expanded for the first time.

The players are currently required to play Monte Carlo, which is the only Masters 1000 available right now.

A player who skips the new Saudi event would not be able to claim his portion of the annual bonus, and under the current regulations, he could claim some of the ranking points that were given up at other tournaments.

Seven of the nine previous Masters events are now being held over a 12-day period, which has turned out to be unpopular with many players.

The new Saudi tournament will only last a week, with an announcement still to be made.

As the ATP tries to streamline the end-of-season tournaments, it will fit into a 2028 schedule with a slightly different look and possibly finish at least a week earlier.

“Obviously, we need to be in the same room as the Grand Slams, the ITF, and the WTA, which is not the case, and is something I’ve been pushing for four years,” Gaudenzi continued.

There is a lot more opportunity in the modern world, which also means there is a lot more opportunity, and there is a lot more temptation to play both online and offline.

However, the top athletes in our sport have a tendency to say no and prioritize the Slams, Masters, and ATP Finals primarily because of this.

Players have previously expressed frustration with the already crowded tennis calendar, with Carlos Alcaraz saying in some way in September 2024: “They are going to kill us in some way.”

British alumnus Jack Draper stated earlier this month that players must “adapt” the tour and the calendar to achieve professional longevity.

Holger Rune, who is the latest high-profile player to have his season prematurely ended by injury, joined Emma Raducanu from Britain, Daria Kasatkina from Australia, Elina Svitolina from Ukraine, and Paula Badosa from Spain on the women’s WTA Tour.

With the decision to choose Saudi Arabia one of the sport’s worst kept secrets, it has been more than eighteen months since bidding invitations were sent to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Australia.

Up until a vote earlier this year, a 10th Masters event had always been planned, but it would have had to be held in either the first week of the year or on grass before Wimbledon.

However, it could happen at any time and is anticipated to be held in February, the same month that the ATP will be traveling to Dubai and Doha.

Because the date is likely to upset someone, the ATP is not confirming that in public.

Since most of its leading men would no longer play in the country in the lead up to the Australian Open, Tennis Australia would consider staging the tournament in Saudi Arabia in the first week of the year to be viewed as hostile.

Players may avoid traditional clay court competitions like those in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires and European indoor competitions like those in Rotterdam by scheduling it in February.

The Middle East and South America tournaments would be one of the best ways to organize them, with the European competitions moving to later in the year.

The Saudi tournament’s prize pool is unknown at this time, but the ATP has set a minimum prize pool for all Masters 1000 competitions.

Next week’s Paris Masters, which also has a 56-man field, is offering the minimum of 6, 128, 940 euros (£5, 328, 338).

As long as the prize money is distributed evenly throughout the draw, tournaments are permitted to award more prizes.

The new Saudi tournament, which will be the seventh ATP and WTA 1000 combined event, has not yet been made public.

Existing owners, including those in Doha and Dubai, would be able to veto any expansion plans if one were to be sold. There are currently no additional licenses for WTA 1000 events.

However, it might change in the future.

According to Danny Townsend, the CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, “we’re very cognizant of serving both the men’s and women’s games.”

“It would be great to have them on in Saudi Arabia at the same time, or at least in sequence. We would never say never and look into it if it were to turn out to be an option, even though that wasn’t at this time.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has made significant investments in boxing, golf, and football.

However, the country has long been criticized for its lack of human rights, particularly in light of how women are treated and homosexuality is made illegal.