- Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is ready to play in the ATP Tour with financial backing by Saudi Arabia
- Kyrgios previously declined to compete in Davis Cup finals so as to play in Riyadh
- He played alongside Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is ready to play in the ATP Tour with financial backing from Saudi Arabia.
This follows talks by the ATP Tour with its sovereign wealth fund regarding a prospective alliance with Saudi Arabia
The Financial Times reported that ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi had negotiations with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and other possible investors about initiatives involving infrastructure, events, and technological investment.
In light of this, Kyrgios says that the ATP finally sees value in tennis players and he is glad that he will finally get the pay that he deserves.
“Finally. They see the value. They are going to pay us what we deserve to be paid. Sign me up,” he tweeted.
Nick Kyrgios. Photo/India Today
Kyrgios previously declined to compete in Davis Cup finals in order to play an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia paying him more than a million pounds.
“Right now I’m busy to go and play in Saudi Arabia for six figures,” he wrote in an Instagram post when fans asked about his absence from the Davis Cup.
This won’t be the first time the Australian will be playing in Saudi Arabia. He played at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in December 2022 alongside Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini.
Still, Gaudenzi says that the talks with Saudi Arabia are delicate because the ATP Tour has a rich history and they will preserve it by all means.
Tennis has worked with Saudi Arabia before. It’s probable that after several years in Milan, the Next Gen Finals, which unite the greatest U21 players in the globe, will take place in Jeddah.
The arrangement would relocate the competition here for the subsequent five years.
In addition to the ATP, the WTA has already agreed to invest 150 million dollars in the women’s circuit through the capital fund CVC.
The International Tennis Federation was on the verge of moving the Davis Cup Finals, previously held in Madrid, Malaga, and Abu Dhabi, in an effort to make the project profitable.
Craig Tiley Australian Open director. Photo by Stuff.co.nz
Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia director says that this investment is considerate of the game’s current structure rather than a different one which sets it apart from what everyone can see currently.
But as with everything in the world, there are a lot of changes that happen frequently. You must therefore be aware of the action and close by.
Tennis is currently in a healthy state due to this conversation, possibly in contrast to other sports where it wasn’t present.
The Spanish tennis star is optimistic about playing in an ATP Tour-sanctioned tournament in Saudi Arabia.
He said that his Gulf country has hosted a lot of sports events in the past and he is sure that there will be an ATP Tour even in the near future.
Alcaraz believes Saudi Arabia has the power to host a lot of tournaments while Gaudenzi stated that any potential investors must respect the tradition of the sport and cooperate with current stakeholders.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login