ATP makes historic Saudi Arabia announcement as – Sports News
The ATP has unveiled plans for a groundbreaking new Masters 1000 tennis event in Saudi Arabia. For the primary time because the Masters 1000 format launched in 1990, a tenth occasion has been added to the calendar.
The 56-player draw competitors is slated to kick off as early as 2028. This marks the debut of a common ATP Tour occasion on Saudi soil. The Next Gen ATP Finals — a showcase for elite gamers aged 20 and beneath — has known as Jeddah home since 2023.
The WTA Finals at the moment takes place in Riyadh, alongside the Six Kings Slam, a six-man exhibition spectacle additionally held within the Saudi capital. Meanwhile, a ladies’s tennis star launched a weird accusation at Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.
“In what is the first-ever expansion of the tournament category, Saudi Arabia will become the tenth ATP Masters 1000 host, joining the existing nine tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris,” the ATP stated in a assertion.
“The Saudi tournament will begin as early as 2028. The agreement marks a new era for global tennis and a major sports transformation in Saudi Arabia, bringing the most celebrated names in the sport to the country and delivering an unforgettable experience for fans.”
The males’s tennis governing physique made the announcement alongside SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company. The PIF serves as a world accomplice of the ATP Tour and holds naming rights for each the ATP and WTA rankings.
According to The Athletic, organizers have not locked in a date for the event but, however February is being thought of — a month that already options two Middle Eastern competitions, the ATP 500s in Doha and Dubai. Initial plans known as for Saudi Arabia to host a mixed ATP-WTA 1000 occasion in January, forward of the Australian Open.
However, Australian Open event director and Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley objected, as a January Saudi Masters would have disrupted the Australian summer time swing.
With the WTA Tour already maxed out at 10 WTA 1000 occasions and no capability for one more, organizers reportedly settled on a 56-player ATP competitors as an alternative of a 96-player joint event.
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Making the announcement on Thursday, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stated: “This is a proud moment for us and the result of a journey that’s been years in the making. Saudi Arabia has shown a genuine commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels.
“PIF’s ambition for the game is evident, and we consider followers and gamers alike will likely be amazed by what’s coming. Strengthening our premium occasions is driving report growth and transformation throughout the Tour, and we’re grateful to our companions at PIF and SURJ for serving to ship that growth and sharing on this imaginative and prescient.”
The ATP has stated that further details regarding the tournament venue and dates will be “introduced sooner or later”. Given that the ATP Tour calendar is often introduced much less than a 12 months upfront, organizers have till roughly mid-2027 to secure a spot on the calendar and a host metropolis.
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