Saudi Arabia will host a new ATP Masters tournament, likely starting in 2028, in the first addition to the men’s tennis tour’s premium series since its inception 35 years ago.
The ATP announced the creation of a 10th Masters event on Thursday, but ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi would not commit to a definitive year for the debut or an exact spot on the calendar. This expansion comes as players renew calls to rethink a long and busy schedule for the sport.
“The only thing we can say at this stage,” Gaudenzi said on a video conference with reporters, “is that it will be at the beginning of the season … the first part of the season.”
He said he would like to hold the week-long 56-player tournament in February after the Australian Open has ended – calling that “the better outcome” – and ideally set up a system with a Middle Eastern swing and a South American swing during that part of the year.
This is the latest in a series of moves to bring money from Saudi Arabia into tennis and bring the sport to the kingdom, including the ATP Next Gen Finals for up-and-coming players to be held in Jeddah and the WTA Finals for the top women’s tennis players to be held in Riyadh. The Public Investment Fund also sponsors both the women’s and men’s rankings.
Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are among critics of the sport’s ties to Saudi Arabia over LGBTQ+ and women’s rights concerns there.
Gaudenzi said the plan is to launch the Saudi Arabia Masters in 2028, with dates to be announced sometime next year.
“The exact position on the calendar has not yet been determined,” he said. “February is of course one of the options. … It is a possibility, but not yet decided.”
Danny Townsend, the CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, does not rule out that the new tournament could eventually join the growing ranks of two-week joint events featuring both women and men.
“There are benefits to having both men and women playing at the same time. I know ticket sales are increasing, and there are a lot of other commercial elements that we would certainly like to take better advantage of,” Townsend said. “But that is all in the future. We will certainly never say never and investigate whether this becomes an option.”
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