Sports Illustrated journalist Jon Wertheim said he is hearing more and more talk about changes in the structure of tennis circuits. According to him, four Grand Slam tournaments can be combined to buy 10 Masters. It is reported that this could be done with the participation of Saudi Arabia, which will host the tenth tournament. Thus, the ATP and WTA will only have the 500 and Final category tournaments, although these may also be removed over time.
Wertheim’s information caused great resonance in the media. The journalist immediately rushed to declare that the creation of a new “super tour” is still far away and that nothing concrete has been agreed upon, but the tennis leaders, after the results of the last meetings, increasingly spoke about the need to a “reboot”. Overall, a large-scale revolution is underway that risks leaving the ATP and WTA with nothing. Perhaps ultimately these associations will cease to exist entirely or merge into a new structure.
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The mention of Saudi Arabia immediately reveals the essence of the changes. The Arab country will invest a huge amount of money in men’s and women’s tennis. This will attract a significant part of the players, especially WTA representatives, who are currently in serious conflicts with the management over working conditions.
The best tennis players will soon come frequently to Saudi Arabia
Photo: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images
Some will express concern about human rights violations in this country, but ultimately the power of money will prevail. Immediately after the World Cup in Qatar, the perception of Arab countries regarding sports changed. The tournament went quite well, despite the state’s strict laws.
Saudi Arabia has taken the initiative from Qatar and has become the main Muslim country that is revolutionizing world sport. Immediately after the World Cup, football superstars, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, began visiting Arabs en masse. The Jeddah Formula 1 Grand Prix is one of the most important events held in the country. The boxing fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou falls into the same category.
In the case of tennis there is also progress. On November 28, the Youth Final Tournament for players under 21 begins in Jeddah. Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Ben Shelton or Lorenzo Musetti, who are in the top 30 of the ATP ranking, will not be there. But Arthur Fis, Luca Van Assche, Dominik Stricker, Alex Michelsen, Flavio Cobolli, Hamad Medjedovic and Luca Nardi, who are among the top 120, will come to Saudi Arabia. The wild card was received by Jordanian Abedallah Shelbaikh, the number 187 racket in the world. A pretty solid lineup of participants for a youth tournament. The winner who has not lost a match will receive an impressive amount of 514 thousand dollars, and the total prize fund increased by 40% compared to Milan, where the tournament started, and reached 2 million dollars.
Most likely, starting in 2025, Saudi Arabia will host the tenth Masters, which will take place before the Australian Open. Perhaps the WTA final tournament will also be moved there. It is possible that in 2024. The scandal with the organization of competitions in Cancun this year only favors the Arabs to accelerate the process.
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Not to mention the various exhibition tournaments that are already being held in Saudi Arabia. In particular, an event that occurred a year ago deserves attention, when many stars of men’s tennis came to Riyadh for the Diriyah Tennis Cup, among them Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacs, Andrei Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov , Cameron Norrie et al. In the final of the competition, the American Taylor Fritz defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev at the Riyadh tournament
Photo: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic, 24-time Grand Slam champion, considers the Saudis’ interest in tennis natural.
“The collaboration of the ATP with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was a matter of time. This country cooperates with almost all other world sports. As for tennis, the main thing about the agreement is to protect the integrity, traditions and history of our sport,” Djokovic said.
The influx of Saudi money into tennis does not mean that a large number of tournaments will be held in the Middle East. Integrity, tradition and history will be protected, so Djokovic need not worry. Football “Newcastle” has not left England anywhere. Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the Australian Open and the United States Open will also be held in the same venues as always. It is unlikely that anyone will reschedule the traditional Masters, although certain location changes are possible in tournaments in this category.
Novak Djokovic is not against Saudi money entering tennis
Photo: Getty Images
There is a clear example of what the future holds for tennis. In fact, Saudi Arabia bought a golf course called LIV. This tour is funded by the Public Investment Fund and the Sovereign Fund of Saudi Arabia. The competition venues are mostly traditional: the United States and Great Britain. The tour is led by Australian golf legend Greg Norman. The presence of the sheikhs is only felt in the money they contribute.
The LIV Tour is not yet considered golf’s premier tour, the PGA Tour remains that way. However, LIV was able to get 48 big-name golfers. The list includes several legendary champions and former world No. 1: Dustin Johnson, Sergio García, Martin Kaymer, Graham McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Lee Westwood and others. Johnson, a 24-time PGA champion, received a $150 million raise to play on the LIV Tour. Dustin was accused of being corrupt, to which he briefly responded to the criticism: “I chose what is best for me and my family.”
Legendary golfers Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods reacted differently to Saudi money
Photo: Zuma/TASS
The most famous name in golf is the legendary Tiger Woods. The Saudis wanted to drive him away. Tiger turned down an offer of between $700 million and $800 million last year. He justified his decision by the fact that the PGA laid the foundation for modern golf and abandoning it would be a disregard for the history of the sport. Maybe Woods’ opinion will change. The LIV tour is just starting to gain momentum and the Saudis’ offer to Tiger isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
Djokovic is the tennis equivalent of Woods. When the Saudis are ready to create a tennis “super tour,” Novak may also be offered a lot of “raising money.” Other stars too. They will probably agree without hesitation, unlike Woods and some of his colleagues. After all, there have been no serious complaints about low salaries in golf, as there have been lately in men’s and women’s tennis.
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Thus, a situation is emerging in which the ATP and WTA will become almost meaningless organizations that will only hold small tournaments. The Saudis will take control of tennis. The average fan will not feel any special changes, except that several tournaments in Jeddah and Riyadh will be added to the calendar. But the economic appetites of tennis players will finally be fully satisfied.
Even in terms of managers, the changes may be minimal. The Saudis are unlikely to mind seeing ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi and his WTA colleague Steve Simon in leadership positions on the new “super tour.” After all, they are the ones who are in close contact with the Arabs at the moment and are not at all opposed to their investments in tennis.
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS