Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment has emerged as the preferred bidder for a new elite men’s tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. SURJ, launched by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) last August, is leading the bid, although no agreement has been finalised with the ATP Tour regarding the venue or commercial terms.
If the deal is secured, SURJ will be granted a licence to host an ATP Masters 1000 event, featuring top-ranked players. Currently, nine such tournaments are held in cities like Miami, Madrid, and Paris.
The tournament dates are still under discussion, with January and February being potential options. Bloomberg notes that negotiations are ongoing and there is no guarantee of a final deal. Securing a licence would bolster Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in tennis. This year, PIF has formed multi-year partnerships with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the ATP Tour, becoming the naming rights partner for each circuit’s rankings.
Riyadh is set to host the next three editions of the WTA Finals, following Saudi Arabia's previous hosting of tennis events, including the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah last November.
In March, The Telegraph reported that PIF had offered $2 billion to merge the ATP and WTA Tours. The sovereign wealth fund is also linked with hosting the Billie Jean King Cup finals in 2025.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has shown interest in purchasing the Madrid Open and Miami Open, both owned by IMG and classified at the ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 levels, according to The Athletic last November.
Comments