The Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) is in talks with the tennis association ATP Tour to buy shares worth millions. While some fear the next attempt at sports washing, one professional is already particularly happy: Nick Kyrgios.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has been stirring up the sporting world for years.
As ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi recently confirmed, the organization is in “positive talks” with the PIF. It is also rumored that Saudi Arabia will host the Next Gen ATP Final this year. Top tournaments in the desert are probably just a matter of time.
Kyrgios: “We will be paid as we deserve”
Australian professional Nick Kyrgios, Wimbledon finalist in 2022 and current world number 33. can’t seem to wait for Saudi Arabia to get into tennis in a big way. “Finally,” he wrote in capital letters in a Twitter post Monday night, “You see the value. We get paid how we deserve. Sign me up.” He also provided his tweet with ten wallet emojis.
Kyrgios, but also other world-class players like the Russian Daniil Medvedev, took part in the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia last December. “At this point in my career, I will always do what is best for me,” he told Australia Associated Press: “I can travel around the world and play exhibitions at this time of year for six figures. I have I feel like I put myself in this position – so it’s easy for me.”
Alcaraz: “I think they have the power”
World number one Carlos Alcaraz also recently commented on a possible entry by Saudi Arabia. He had “no doubt” that he would play tournaments in the desert state in the future, he said after his victory at Queen’s Club: “I think they have the power to hold many tournaments. I’ve never played an official tournament there, we will see how it goes.”
In the past few months, the Public Investment Fund had made several large sports deals. In golf, the fund introduced the billion-euro competitor series LIV in around 2022, and after an initial dispute, tournaments are even to be held jointly with the renowned PGA in the future. Meanwhile, in football, Saudi Arabia caused an uproar by taking over the English football club Newcastle United or with the horrendous million-dollar deals for Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Now it should continue in professional tennis.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations continue to emphasize their concerns about Saudi Arabia’s influence in the world of sport. In the current report, “Amnesty International” underlines, for example, that “male guardianship and discrimination against women” is now prescribed by the civil status law that came into force in 2022.