KSA is a Top Contender to Host Tennis Tournament
The specifics regarding venue and commercial terms remain under negotiation.
Saudi Arabia emerges as the favored candidate to host a forthcoming tournament. The entity in question, SURJ Sports Investment, stands on the cusp of clinching a deal with the ATP Tour, Bloomberg reported.[1]
While the specifics regarding venue and commercial terms remain under negotiation, SURJ would secure the rights to stage an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Discussions orbit around the timing of the proposed event, with January and February mooted as potential months for its unveiling. However, uncertainties loom large, and the outcome of ongoing deliberations is yet to crystallize into a concrete agreement.
The kingdom's courtship with tennis commenced in earnest in 2023, when it embarked on a five-year tenure as the host of the Next Gen ATP Finals, held in Jeddah.
The formation of SURJ by PIF last year underscores a strategic agenda to catalyze the growth of the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and a key vehicle of Saudi Vision 2030, the blueprint to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil, and become a hub for tourism, sports, technology, development, and mega urban projects.
In May, the PIF and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) forged a multi-year partnership aimed at propelling the sport's growth worldwide.