ATP Tour to hold Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia from 2023

World fig 1 Carlos Alcaraz won the 2021 Next Gen Finals successful Milan

Tennis volition clasp a nonrecreational lawsuit successful Saudi Arabia for the archetypal clip aft a five-year woody was agreed for Jeddah to big the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Saudi Arabia has invested immense amounts of wealth into football, golf, Formula 1 and boxing successful caller years.

But the federation has agelong been criticised for its poor quality rights record.

Women's rights campaigners person been imprisoned successful Saudi Arabia, contempt immoderate betterment nether crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, specified arsenic an extremity to the prohibition connected women driving.

The Saudi authorities has besides been criticised for its criminalisation of homosexuality, the regularisation of escaped code and the usage of the decease penalty, with campaigners calling Saudi's quality rights grounds "atrocious".

In a connection announcing the woody connected Thursday, ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi said "exploring caller markets is cardinal to increasing the game", adding: "Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our accidental to animate caller fans, successful a portion with a immense young population, and unite audiences astir tennis."

Britain's erstwhile satellite fig 1 Andy Murray has said antecedently helium would not vie determination and had turned down offers of up to £1.5m to play accumulation events successful the Gulf authorities successful caller years.

However, successful July helium said helium had not ruled retired playing successful Saudi Arabia if ATP Tour events - with rankings points - are held there.

Spanish satellite fig 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 20, antecedently said helium had "no doubts" helium would vie successful Saudi Arabia astatine immoderate constituent and added the state has the powerfulness to clasp plentifulness of tournaments.

Host cities from aggregate regions were considered successful the bid process earlier Jeddah was selected. This volition beryllium the archetypal authoritative nonrecreational tennis lawsuit to instrumentality spot successful Saudi Arabia, which has hosted respective lucrative accumulation matches already.

The Next Gen Finals, which person often trialled caller rules and innovations for the game, had been held successful Milan since the archetypal variation successful 2017. The indoor hard-court lawsuit volition present determination to Jeddah successful November and volition connection a grounds $2m (£1.6m) successful prize money.

Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said his organisation was "extremely proud" to beryllium hosting the lawsuit and that "the Next Gen ATP Finals embodies the doctrine of our Federation, which is to animate young endowment to scope the sport's highest levels".

Saudi Arabia has besides reportedly approached the women's circuit astir hosting an event, which could perchance beryllium the prestigious end-of-season finals.

The WTA Tour "can't locomotion distant from" the Saudi question, but determination are inactive "tons of issues" to beryllium resolved, main enforcement Steve Simon has said.

Jeddah is besides the big of Saudi Arabia's Formula 1 race, which archetypal ran successful 2021, portion the country's Public Investment Fund purchased Premier League broadside Newcastle United successful the aforesaid year.

The PIF besides merged with the PGA Tour earlier this year, and took power of 4 Saudi Pro League shot clubs - Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr - earlier this summertime arsenic the country's lavish spending connected household sanction players ramped up.

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