Days After PGA Tour’s Merger With Liv Golf, Saudi Arabia Now in Talks With ATP for a Major Tennis Move

From soccer to golf, Saudi Arabia is rapidly making moves to capture all major sports across the globe. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the kingdom has already managed to lure a slew of global icons in the sporting realm including Portuguese soccer legend, Cristiano Ronaldo who previously joined the Saudi Professional League club, Al Nassr. Apart from soccer, Saudi has also made major investments in the golf community given the PGA Tour’s Merger with Liv Golf. Now, the sovereign wealth fund has shifted its attention to tennis as they held some ‘positive’ discussions with the ATP Tour.

While some talks are going on between the two parties, there are also rumors that a couple of tennis tournaments will soon be moving to the Middle East.

ATP Tour held talks with Saudi Arabia’s PIF

According to a report from dailymail.co.uk, the chairman of the tennis men’s circuit, Andrea Gaudenzi recently opened up about having ‘positive’ talks with the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. He also said that they intend to strengthen links with Saudi Arabia, which plans to make potential investments in the sport of tennis.

The supremo of the ATP Tour, however, has also warned investors that they must respect the history of the sport as they also have to preserve something ‘sacred’, the rules of the game. While talks are going on between the two parties, there are rumors that some tournaments like the NextGen finals will be soon held in Jeddah.

Some sources are also claiming that the ATP Finals might also be moving to the Saudi which will be marked as the biggest move in the sport. The exhibition tournament, Diriyah Cup already managed to lure a number of top tennis stars to participate in the event.

A prominent figure in the tennis community has already advocated for the sport in Saudi

Despite making major moves in the sporting community, the country has often been surrounded by controversies due to its laws for the LGBTQ+ community. Due to the same, there are also some questions about the ethics of the players advocating their respective sports in the country.

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Even in the tennis community, the Aussie player, Nick Kyrgios has often found himself in hot waters due to his participation in Diriyah Cup. Further, the ‘bad boy of tennis’ was also recently asked about his views on the human rights violations against members of the LGBTQ+ community in the country. The controversial tennis player answered by saying that he is only focused on playing the sport he loves. Kyrgios also asserted that his previous visits to Saudi were great given the hospitality he received there.

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What do you think of the discussions between the ATP Tour and Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments section.