Stan Wawrinka and Daniil Medvedev will be among eight players who will travel to Saudi Arabia in December to play in the country’s first ever tennis tournament.
The inaugural Diriyah Tennis Cup will take place over three days between December 12-14. It will be held on the outskirts of Diriyah at the same venue where the boxing world heavyweight title rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr will take place a week prior. The venue has a capacity of 15,000 spectators with players battling it out for a prize of $3 million.
“Hosting world class international tennis in Saudi Arabia for the very first time is another watershed moment for the Kingdom. There’s a deep passion for sport in Saudi Arabia and the Diriyah Tennis Cup will see us reaching new tennis fans, welcome even more international visitors as well as creating amazing memories for all.” Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud, chairman of the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia (GSA), said in a statement.
Prince Abdulaziz is hoping the event will help inspire people in Saudi Arabia to take up the sport. The country currently doesn’t have a player, male or female, with a professional ranking in tennis. The event will be working alongside the Saudi Tennis Federation.
“We want to contribute in achieving the goals of the sports sector, which have been defined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, to transform the Kingdom into a destination for sports tourists from around the world.” He said.
“We hope that the announcement of the tennis cup would motivate Saudi players to invest more in the game so that they could compete at international levels in the future.”
Also confirmed for the event are Italy’s Fabio Fognini and David Goffin. Fognini won his first Masters title earlier this year in Monte Carlo and Goffin is currently ranked 14th in the world.
The announcement comes just days after the conservative country changed the rules to their visas for tourists. Renowned for its strict laws, unmarried couples are now allowed to rent hotel rooms together and women can stay alone.
In 2018, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were due to clash in the Kingdom before their exhibition was called off. The decision was made in the aftermath of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered inside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey. Both players were also criticised for agreeing to play in the country that has a questionable human rights record.
The full line-up for the Diriyah Tennis Cup will be announced shortly.
