The prospect of the Laver Cup being staged in Saudi Arabia one day has been publically backed by its chairman.
Tony Godsick has said in a recent interview that he ‘expects’ the Middle Eastern nation to get involved in discussions about staging the event in the future. Saudi Arabia has publically expressed their interest in hosting tennis events and last year held the ATP Next Gen Finals, which features the best players under the age of 21. That was the first time in history that they had held a Tour-level tournament.
The Laver Cup is a three-day team competition which features Europe taking on the rest of the world. A concept inspired by that of golf’s Ryder Cup. It was co-founded by Roger Federer’s Team8 management company (which he formed with Godsick), businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia. In 2019 it became an official ATP sanction event which meant it had a place on the official calendar and could use marketing materials from the governing body of men’s tennis.
“Saudi Arabia has become big in sports….in golf, in Formula 1, in football, in boxing. But for a long time now.” Godsick told the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
“Tennis is also not entirely new (to Saudi Arabia) anymore; show (exhibition) events have taken place in the past; the NextGen Finals were recently held there.’
“Sport is a language that everyone speaks. Sport can enable dialogue and change. Tennis is late to the party, I would say.”
Asked if he believed the Laver Cup could be staged there one day, Godsick indicated that he believe there is a good chance that it may do so. Even though critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using sports such as tennis to try and improve its image which has been damaged by concerns over their human rights records. A concept known as sportswashing.
“Sure. One day the Laver Cup could be in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“We rotate between European cities and cities in the rest of the world. I expect Saudi Arabia will be part of this discussion at some point in the future. We have not been contacted by them yet, but many in the region have.”
20-time Grand Slam champion Federer didn’t weigh in on the topic despite being in the same interview as Godsick. However, the tennis great appears to be in favour of tennis exhibitions taking place after Saudi Arabia confirmed that they will stage their King Six Slams exhibition in October during the same time as the ATP events. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (who is also a Saudi Tennis Federation ambassador) and Jannik Sinner are all set to take part. The prize money is reported to be around $6M for the champion, according to The Telegraph newspaper.
“This development also reflects supply and demand. Of course, there should be periods for the players to recover. But: The player enjoys playing! Especially when you can mix different events.” Federer commented.
“Life on tour is serious enough. Show matches are pretty relaxing, and something often goes to charities for a good cause. Such events help tennis to develop. Especially in areas where the sport is not yet very present.”
It remains to be seen if Saudi Arabia and their Public Investment Fund (PIF) will make a move for the Laver Cup. This year the event is set to be held in Berlin.
