Saudi Arabia could soon also invest in tennis. The ATP-Boss confirmed negotiations. From “sports washing“ is hardly ever mentioned with such reports, a habituation effect sets in.
Carlos Alcaraz won a tennis tournament on grass for the first time on Sunday (06/25/2023). The final in Queen’s Club in London, the 20-year-old Spaniard went 6-4, 6-4 against the Australian Alex de Minaur, and he again took first place in the world rankings.
“It means a lot to me. It’s the first time I’ve played here”, said Alcaraz, who should now be more confident that he can go far on the Wimbledon lawn. The tournament in “All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club“ starts on Monday (07/03/2023).
“Positive talks” with Saudi sovereign wealth fund
An ATP tournament in Saudi Arabia has not yet been dated. However, Carlos Alcaraz has “no doubt”that it will also celebrate a premiere in the kingdom on the Persian Gulf with an extremely difficult human rights situation.
The time might not be far off. During the tournament at Queen’s Club, Andrea Gaudenzi (photo above, left with Alcazar) said that in “positive conversations” with the Public Investment Fund (PFI) about an engagement in tennis.
Gaudenzi is chairman of the ATP, the association of male tennis professionals. The PFI is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. After there have been rumors about an entry for a long time, the two sides now seem to be finally coming together.
Soccer, Golf, Gaming, Formula 1
At an ever faster pace, it becomes known how the kingdom is pushing further and further into the sport. In football, salaries in the two to maybe even three-digit millions per year attract a number of prominent professionals to the Saudi league. Newcastle United practically belongs to the Saudi state. The Club from the English premier league will be in the 2023/24 season in the Champions League play.
In the Gulf, Saudi Arabia initially financed a tour that competed with the renowned one PGA, recently practically all professional golf was taken over. In gaming, billions flow from Saudi Arabia, Formula 1 has been buzzing in the desert for years, where the Asian Winter Games will even be held in 2029.
While it looks as if Saudi Arabia will not bid for the 2030 men’s World Cup, it is likely to be postponed.
Critics call it “sportswashing” when nations with a critical human rights situation polish their image with glossy sports products. The most powerful competitor in the sector is Qatar. The geographically small neighbor, who hosted the men’s soccer World Cup in 2022, announced a few days ago that it would join a group that, among other things, Washington Wizards from the basketball league NBA and the Washington Capitals from the ice hockey league NHL belong. It would be a first for US sport.
Ever quieter protests
The protests and concerns about “sports washing” are becoming ever quieter. This is mainly due to the fact that Western countries like Germany maintain close economic ties with the countries on the Persian Gulf, whose wealth is based on the sale of fossil fuels.
Due to the large number of completed and planned engagements, however, a habituation effect has also crept in. The fact that the men’s club World Cup in football will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2023 was a side note in February, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s change had previously become known.
Carlos Alcaraz has no concerns about stopping off with the ATP tour in a country that the human rights organization “Amnesty International” writes about in the current report, among other things: “The country’s first personal status law, which went into effect in 2022, codified male guardianship and discrimination against women.”
Alcaraz predicted at Queen’s Club that Saudi Arabia has every means to “significantly” change tennis: “I think they have the power to get a lot of tournaments.”