From 2028, a 10th Masters 1000 tournament on the annual ATP calendar will be played. The ATP and SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, on Thursday announced the creation of a new event to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.
“This is a proud moment for us and the culmination of a journey we have been working on for years,” said Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. “Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a genuine commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels. PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear, and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what is to come. Strengthening our premium events will drive record growth and transformation across the Tour, and we are grateful to our partners at PIF and SURJ for their help in realizing that growth and sharing in this vision.”
It is the first-ever expansion of the Masters 1000 category since that tournament level was established. Saudi Arabia will join Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris on the programme.
This move was widely expected as Saudi Arabia has been involved in tennis for several years. Riyadh has hosted the WTA Finals since 2024 and Jeddah has been the venue of the NextGen ATP Finals since 2023. For the past two seasons, Riyadh has also hosted the Six Kings Slam exhibition event.
The Saudi Arabia Masters 1000 will be played at the start of the season, probably in February after the Australian Open.
“All we can say at this stage is that it will be at the beginning of the season, the first part of the season,” Gaudenzi said during a video conference. “The exact position on the calendar has not yet been determined. February is of course one of the options… It is a possibility, but not yet decided.”
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