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Long rumored, it's happening.
"Saudi Arabia will host an ATP Masters 1000 tournament as early as 2028, in the latest move in nearly three years of power battles, negotiation and inertia that have come to dominate the top of tennis. SURJ, the sports division of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the governing body of men’s tennis confirmed Thursday that the event will be a 56-player draw over one week. It will not be a mandatory event."
And: "How tennis got to this place is a story that transcends the sport, and others as well. It is part of a wider effort by the country’s leader, Mohammed bin Salman, to grow Saudi Arabia from a petroleum kingdom into a destination for events in sports and entertainment, funded by its petroleum riches. Its human rights record has been extensively criticized, with organizations and charities labeling its pursuit of sporting acclaim as sportswashing of its treatment of women, LGBTQIA+ people and dissidents against its ruling regime. The PIF has declined to comment on its relationship with the Saudi state."
And; "So Saudi Arabia’s ambitions slowly contracted, from a combined event to a men’s one; from a 96-player draw to a 56-player one; and from January to February. That meant more negotiations with the organizers of the events in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which delayed the event’s formalization until this fall."
Article on The Athletic (NYT paywall)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/651..._copylink&smid =url-share-ta
"Saudi Arabia will host an ATP Masters 1000 tournament as early as 2028, in the latest move in nearly three years of power battles, negotiation and inertia that have come to dominate the top of tennis. SURJ, the sports division of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the governing body of men’s tennis confirmed Thursday that the event will be a 56-player draw over one week. It will not be a mandatory event."
And: "How tennis got to this place is a story that transcends the sport, and others as well. It is part of a wider effort by the country’s leader, Mohammed bin Salman, to grow Saudi Arabia from a petroleum kingdom into a destination for events in sports and entertainment, funded by its petroleum riches. Its human rights record has been extensively criticized, with organizations and charities labeling its pursuit of sporting acclaim as sportswashing of its treatment of women, LGBTQIA+ people and dissidents against its ruling regime. The PIF has declined to comment on its relationship with the Saudi state."
And; "So Saudi Arabia’s ambitions slowly contracted, from a combined event to a men’s one; from a 96-player draw to a 56-player one; and from January to February. That meant more negotiations with the organizers of the events in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which delayed the event’s formalization until this fall."
Article on The Athletic (NYT paywall)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/651..._copylink&smid =url-share-ta
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