Game, Set, Match: After football, is Saudi Arabia prepping for a tennis takeover?

Who will win the ongoing US Open tournament being held at Flushing Meadows? That is perhaps the biggest question that tennis fans are asking the world over. However, there’s another storyline being built at Queens, where the best tennis players are fighting for glory, and surprisingly, it’s being written off the courts and in press conference rooms. What are we talking about? Saudi Arabia is making a foray into the tennis world and perhaps trying to take over it, one tournament at a time. Interestingly, the Kingdom has been pumping large amounts of money into various sports in recent times, in what experts say is an attempt to move from its oily pursuits and “wash” its image free of the taint of fossil fuels and meagre human rights. We examine Saudi Arabia’s actual depth of involvement, how the tennis world is reacting and how this is a small step for the Kingdom’s move to dominate sports. Saudi’s tennis push On 24 August, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the world governing body for men’s tennis, announced that its “ Next Gen ATP Finals ,” which includes the top eight players age 21 and under, will be played in Jeddah starting on 28 November. The ATP said that the tournament, moving from Milan in Italy, will take place over five days at the King Abdullah Sports City on indoor hard court from 28 November-2 December 2023, with a record $2 million (Rs 16.5 crore) prize money on offer and would be the home for the event for the next four years, until 2027. [caption id=“attachment_13058532” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The King Abdullah Sports City stadium, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia will host the men’s tennis tour’s Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah through 2027. File image/AP[/caption] ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said, “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. Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation. We look forward to building on the event’s incredible success together.” This will be the first official professional tennis event to take place in Saudi Arabia, though the ATP has had a presence in the Middle East for more than 30 years. Until now, Saudi Arabia only had the Diriyah Tennis Cup – an exhibition tournament, which has seen the likes of former two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and former US Open champ Danil Medvedev competing. World Number 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (20), reacting to the news had said he had “no doubts” he would compete in Saudi Arabia at some point and added that the country has the power to hold plenty of tournaments, according to a Reuters report. There’s also growing speculation that the season-ending WTA Finals, which sees the top eight singles players and doubles teams on the women’s tour competing, will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. However, the women’s tour spokesperson has said that no final decision has been taken on the matter. [caption id=“attachment_13058562” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Aryna Sabalenka, Chris Evert and Caroline Garcia pose with the trophies after the WTA Final in 2022. There’s talk that the event will move to Riyadh this year, drawing various reactions from players, past and present. File image/Reuters[/caption] The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association’s) season-ending tournament last year was held in Fort Worth, Texas and prior to that, it was held in Mexico’s Guadalajara. Tennis pundits believe that hosting the women’s event in Saudi is bound to raise eyebrows as the Kingdom has a poor record when it comes to women’s rights. Players – past and present – speak However, Saudi’s investment in the sport, despite being substantial has divided the tennis world. Britain’s Andy Murray, who is a three-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic medallist, had earlier said that he wouldn’t play in Saudi Arabia but added that he would think twice if tennis points were up for grabs. Tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have also expressed their apprehensions about Saudi Arabia’s investment in the sport and moving the WTA Finals to the country. Speaking to sports journalist Jon Wertheim, Navratilova said that if she were playing on the WTA Tour right at the moment, she would not have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Finals. “I can tell you 100 per cent if I were still playing, I would not be going (to Saudi Arabia) for the Championships.” Chris Evert echoed her former rival and compatriot’s sentiment, saying that the WTA is about equality and has been a trailblazer in women’s empowerment. She urged the tennis body not to chase money but to do the right thing.

The WTA is about equality. We have been leaders and role models in women’s sports. We have made decisions the last 50 years with integrity and dignity. We have empowered women…Take less money and do the right thing…🙏💪👍

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) August 27, 2023

The now ESPN tennis analyst was also quoted as telling Reuters that she “would prefer the WTA not go to Saudi Arabia”. “Obviously they have the human rights issues and everything, just the way they treat women. I would be against it. But I don’t have a vote.” Tennis’ original bad boy John McEnroe has also voiced his feelings on Saudis’ involvement in the sport. He told to puntodebreak.com: “I wouldn’t do it, honestly. I don’t think our sport needs it. I don’t think it will benefit movement. Personally, I think we shouldn’t do this. I think there are many hypocritical people. They say tennis and golf shouldn’t open doors to the Arab world and, meanwhile, they do business with their own big companies in Saudi Arabia. One of tennis’ all-time greats Billie Jean King, who has been credited with getting women the same prize money as men, is of a differing opinion. Prior to Wimbledon, she said, “I’m a huge believer in engagement,” King was quoted as saying. “I don’t think you really change unless you engage.” [caption id=“attachment_13058582” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] America’s Jessica Pegula, who won her first round at the US Open, said that the decision wasn’t black and white and that ’the right arrangement’ needs to be finalised. AP[/caption] Players on the circuit currently have also shared their views on the matter. Ons Jabeur , who is a crowd favourite and the first player from an Arab nation to make a Grand Slam final, has endorsed the move. “I know in Saudi they’re changing things and evolving,” Jabeur said. “I went last year to give a speech there and it was very nice meeting a lot of amazing women there. I think it’s a great step. It’s something that could help the Arab world to have more tennis players to get more involved in sports. If they play there and hopefully if I qualify it will be a great honour and opportunity to go play there,” she was quoted as saying. Jessica Pegula, the top-ranked American woman and member of the WTA players’ council, shared an interesting view on the entire matter. Speaking to journalists, she said they “don’t have the luxury to say no to some things” given how important the WTA Finals are to the tour’s overall financial picture. She said:,“If you look at a pros and cons list, we obviously have to see there be a lot of pros overweighing the cons to feel comfortable going there, whether that’s seeing them as a group maybe have to donate money to women’s sports or women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, to see some sort of change or action going towards helping those causes in their country,” Pegula said. “I think that would be something really important that, if we did end up going there, we would want to see. “I think it’s just going to have to be the right arrangement and we’re going to have to know if we go there, okay, well, we want to be making a change, and you need to help us do that.” Saudi Arabia’s sports takeover However, Saudi Arabia’s interest is not restricted to tennis alone. The Middle Eastern country and the world’s largest oil exporter has been pushing hard to increase its influence in sports; it has been splurging outrageous sums of money in sports like football, Formula 1, horse racing and boxing. The Guardian in a recent report stated that the Kingdom has spent at least $6.3 billion (Rs 5.2 lakh crore) in sports deals since early 2021, more than quadruple the previous amount spent over a six-year period. The $6.3 billion investment is almost equivalent to the GDP of Montenegro or the island of Barbados. Also read: Formula 1 to Cristiano Ronaldo, a look at oil-rich Saudi Arabia's sports shopping spree Recently, football greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, formerly of Chelsea, have also signed up with Saudi clubs. Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal had also submitted a world-record bid for the French captain, Kylian Mbappé. However, he refused.

Saudi Arabia has also made sizeable investments in golf, making it perhaps the most influential force in the sport. In October 2021, the country’s PIF (Public Investment Fund) invested an estimated $2 billion to create LIV golf , a major tournament. There have also been substantial investments in the world of boxing and motorsports. The nation paid an estimated $60 million (Rs 495 crore) to host a heavyweight match between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua in 2022. In July last year, PIF bought 17 per cent of F1 franchise Aston Martin. It has also invested in a $550 million sponsorship of McLaren Group Ltd. This is separate from the $40-45 million that state-owned oil giant Aramco spends annually to sponsor Formula One. [caption id=“attachment_13058622” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the trophy after winning the Arab Club Champions Cup final. Ronaldo, one of football’s greatest, was one of the first big names to move to Saudi Arabia. He has been followed by Neymar and Karim Benzema to name a few. File image/Reuters[/caption] While Saudi Arabia has said these investments are in line with Vision 2030, a broad government plan to diversify the country’s economy beyond oil, observers opine that it’s their way of sportswashing away criticisms of its domestic and foreign policies, especially with regard to human rights. And the timing is an indication of it all. Saudi Arabia began increased investments in sports after the assassination of Saudi journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a crime that drew international condemnation. Many have said that these big investments, big buys are systematic distractions by Saudi Arabia from issues such as labour exploitation, corruption, and ill-treatment of minorities like the LGBTQ+ community and of women. Simon Chadwick, professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris told the BBC that Saudi Arabia is not alone in using sports investments as an influencer. “It’s one element of a policy armoury that Saudi Arabia is currently deploying. We are talking about a contest between nations to win the hearts and minds of people globally. Britain, the United States, France, India and so many other countries have implemented this policy. Now the Saudis are doing the same,” he said. Only time will tell if the move by Saudi Arabia is an ace or if draws a bagel. With inputs from agencies