At the start of next week Red Bull will announce the creation at a brand new tennis event that will be staged during the ATP Next Gen Finals from 2019 onwards.
The name of the tournament of reported to be The Red Bull Next Gen Open, according to The Times. Eight players around the world aged under 21 and ranked between 400 and 1000 in the world will be invited to take part. It is said to be inspired by the Neymar Jr’s Five football. A five-a-side tournament with a twist. During its first year, a total of 65,000 players from 47 countries took part.
Under the plans, there will be Red Bull qualifying tournaments held around the world. Each of the winners will then progress to the Next Gen Open. The event will be held at the Fiera Milano, the same venue as the ATP Next Gen Finals. Although at the present it is expected that no ranking points will be on offer.
“This is a Red Bull event, not an ATP event. It will however take place at the same venue as the Next Gen ATP Finals (Fiera Milano).” The ATP has told Ubitennis.
“At some point early next week Red Bull will be putting out an announcement with more details, but it’s essentially a 21 and under event played on the Friday and Saturday of our tournament, with players selected from various countries.”
Red Bull GmbH is famously known for their energy drink, but has developed a reputation in the world of sport. They have been involved in the sponsoring of sports such as motorsport, football, ice hockey and e-sports. According to financial documents, their flagship Red Bull Racing Team achieved a net profit of £8.4 million in 2016.
Once Red Bull officially unveils their initiative, they may officially launch it during this year’s Next Gen finals. The tournament will be held during the second week of November.
