Saudi Arabia to host Next Gen ATP Finals

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The season-ending Next Gen Finals for males’s under-21 tennis gamers will probably be held within the Saudi Arabian metropolis of Jeddah from 2023 to 2027 because the ATP makes its first aggressive foray into the Gulf nation.

The award of the match marks the newest transfer in world sport by Saudi Arabia which has pumped large quantities of cash into golf and soccer amongst others lately, drawing some scrutiny within the course of.

The hardcourt match, which has been performed in Milan because it started in 2017, can even have its prize cash elevated to a report $2 million, up from $1.4 million final 12 months.

The ATP launched a bidding course of in March to judge host cities in a number of areas earlier than finalising on the Saudi Arabian port metropolis of Jeddah, with the King Abdullah Sports City indoor facility staging the occasion this 12 months from November 28 to December 2.

“The ATP Tour is truly global and exploring new markets is central to growing the game. Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to inspire new fans, in a region with a vast young population, and unite audiences around tennis,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stated in a press release.

Gaudenzi stated earlier this 12 months there had additionally been optimistic discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and different potential traders on initiatives together with infrastructure, occasions and expertise funding.

World primary Carlos Alcaraz, 20, had welcomed the news then saying he had “no doubts” he would compete in Saudi Arabia in some unspecified time in the future and added that the nation has the facility to carry loads of tournaments.

Although different Gulf international locations like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have hosted ATP tournaments up to now, Saudi Arabia solely had the Diriyah Tennis Cup – an exhibition match.

Top gamers together with Daniil Medvedev and Stan Wawrinka had competed in that occasion, which held its second version final 12 months.

Three-times Grand Slam winner Andy Murray had beforehand dominated out any risk of taking part in in Saudi Arabia after being invited to exhibition tournaments however stated he must assume twice if rating factors have been up for grabs.