Talks are ongoing concerning the feasibility of Saudi Arabia staging a Masters 1000 event at the start of 2025, according to a report by The Times.
Those involved in the negotiations are looking into the prospect of the Middle Eastern country holding a premier men’s event before the Australian Open in a move that would have huge implications for the calendar. Currently, the season starts in Australia and New Zealand with the United Cup as well as a series of lower-level tournaments. Should Saudi Arabia be given a Masters 1000 event, the world’s top men’s players would instead begin their year there.
Such a move would undoubtedly draw criticism from Australia whose events would significantly suffer. The United Cup, which is overseen by Tennis Australia, would likely come to an end in the absence of top men’s players taking part.
The ATP has declined to comment on the matter but it is understood that meetings will be held during the ATP Finals next week to look into more details of the proposal. It is unclear if a possible Saudi Masters event would be an additional event or replace an existing one. The Athletic has previously reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has approached IMG about the possibility of buying either the Miami Masters or Madrid Masters events. However, both Miami and Madrid are combined tournaments.
Sources have told Ubitennis that the possibility of the PIF making a bid for the Paris Masters is unlikely due to the time of year. This is due to the close proximity between the Next Gen Final and WTA Finals. Whilst the Next Gen Finals is taking place in Saudi Arabia from this year onwards, there has been no confirmation about the future of the WTA Finals. Although, it is understood that officials in the country are confident that the event will be moved there next year as part of a multi-year deal. Furthermore, a senior WTA official reportedly visited the country last month to inspect possible venues. This is yet to be confirmed by the governing body of women’s tennis but the information is from those involved in the ongoing negotiations.
Ubitennis recently asked the WTA if there have been any recent meetings with members of the Saudi Tennis Federation but they didn’t comment during an email exchange.
Saudi Arabia is becoming a formidable force in the world of sports. According to research conducted by Play the Game, they have identified at least 312 Saudi sponsorship deals across 21 sports, as well as multi-sport events. The organization is run by the Danish Institute for Sport Studies, which is funded by the country’s government. They are also set to host the 2034 World Cup after being named as the only candidate to stage the event.
Critics have accused the Saudi regime of using sports to improve its reputation which has been affected by human rights violations, a term commonly known as sportswashing. Areas of concern raised by international organizations include women’s rights, the criminalization of homosexuality, the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the suppression of free speech.
On the other hand, the Saudis argue that work has been done to improve its human rights record and significant progress has been made. As for the allegations of sportswashing, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News earlier this year that he doesn’t care about this.
“If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then we’ll continue doing sportswashing,” Bin Salman said.
“I don’t care [about the term]. I have 1% growth in GDP from sport and I am aiming for another 1.5%.
“Call it what you want – we are going to get that 1.5%.”
Later this year a series of exhibition matches will be held in Saudi Arabia following the Next Gen finals. In Ridayh Aryna Sabalenka is set to play Ons Jabeur on December 26th. The following day Novak Djokovic has signed up to play Carlos Alcaraz.
