Saudi Arabia will host a new ATP Masters tournament, expected to begin in 2028, the first addition to the men’s tennis tour’s senior series since its inception 35 years ago.
The ATP announced the 10th edition of the Masters on Thursday, but ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi would not commit to a specific year for the inaugural event or a specific location on the calendar. The expansion comes amid renewed calls from players to reconsider the sport’s long and crowded schedule.
“All we can say at this stage,” Gaudenzi said in a video conference with reporters, “is that it will be at the start of the season … the first phase of the season.”
He said he hoped to move the 56-player, week-long tournament to February, after the Australian Open, which he described as a “better outcome” and that it would be better to have a system in place for the Middle East and South American tours during that time of year.
It is the latest in a series of initiatives by Saudi Arabia to inject money into tennis and bring the sport to the kingdom, including the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah for emerging players and the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the best women’s tennis players. The Public Investment Fund also sponsors the women’s and men’s rankings.
Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have been critical of the sport’s ties to Saudi Arabia because of their concerns about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights there.
Gaudenzi said the plan is to host the Saudi Arabian Masters in 2028, with a specific date to be announced sometime next year.
“The exact location on the calendar has not yet been determined,” he said. “Obviously, February is one of the options… It’s a possibility, but it hasn’t been decided yet.”
Danny Townsend, chief executive of PIF company SURJ Sports Investment, did not rule out that the new event could eventually join the growing ranks of combined two-week events for men and women.
“There are benefits to having men and women competing at the same time. I know there will be an increase in ticket sales and we certainly want to better benefit from that,” Townsend said. “But that’s all in the future. We’re certainly never saying never and exploring whether that becomes an option.”
