The head of men’s tennis has revealed for the first time that “positive” talks have taken place with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund about a potential partnership.
Andrea Gaudenzi, the chairman of the ATP Tour, said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – along with other potential investors – about providing extra money for events, infrastructure, and technology investment.
Gaudenzi made it clear, however, that he was wary of tennis going down the same path as golf, which has been riven with conflict, strife and uncertainty since the announcement of LIV Golf last year.
Pointedly, he warned potential investors that they must “stick to respecting the history of the sport and the product, working with the current stakeholder rather than against”. Gaudenzi told the Financial Times: “You have to preserve something which is almost sacred, the rules of the game. This is not a video game, this is not a movie.”
Rumours that the Saudis are interested in tennis have swirled around the sport for over a year and it is expected that the ATP’s Next Gen Finals, the end-of-season event for players aged 21 and under, will switch from Milan to Jeddah as part of a new five-year deal.
The announcement of that deal is expected in the coming weeks, but Gaudenzi’s comments indicate that the door is open for further opportunities – including potentially huge appearance fees and more tournaments to be held on Saudi Arabian soil.
Last year the organisers of the women’s tour, the WTA, also admitted PIF had made an enquiry about the possibility of hosting an official tour event in the women’s game.
Like golf, tennis is fragmented with the four majors being separate from the ATP, WTA and the International Tennis Federation, which acts as the world governing body of tennis.
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However, Gaudenzi warned against a “complete break it apart, disrupt it” approach, as in golf. “If you’re a golf fan you want to see the top players playing against each other. You want one ranking and you want one simple story. Ultimately, you want to see the top players playing in the best events in the world. The more you fragment and divide, the more you create confusion.”
So far there has been no official reaction from the players to Gaudenzi’s comments. However the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Cameron Norrie competed in Saudi Arabia at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition tournament held in 2019 and 2022.
One player opposed to deeper involvement with the Saudis is Andy Murray. He confirmed this month that he would not play in the kingdom.