Thursday’s announcement of the new venue for the ATP Next Gen Finals comes as no surprise to those familiar with the world of tennis.
The Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah has officially signed a contract with the ATP Tour to host the event for five years starting in 2023. It will take place over five days at the King Abdullah Sports City on indoor hard courts from 28 November-2 December. Featuring the eight highest-ranked players under the age of 21, on offer is a record $2M in prize money which is a $600,000 increase on the 2022 event when it was held in Turin.
Ubitennis revealed details about Jeddah hosting the event last month and all of those details reported have been confirmed today. The date for the competition follows directly after the Davis Cup Finals but from 2024 it will be held later in December. This year’s date had to be brought forward because of the FIFA Club World Cup tournament which will be hosted at the same venue.
Ubitennis understands that Carlos Alcaraz had agreed to play in this year’s Next Gen Finals if it had taken place later in December which was the original plan. The idea is that during what is traditionally the off-season players would be eager to play competitive tennis which they already do via exhibitions. Alcaraz said earlier this year that he expects to play in Saudi Arabia.
This is likely to only be the start of what could become a very complex relationship between tennis and Saudi Arabia. A county who have invested millions in various sports such as football and golf via its Public Investment Fund (PIF). They have been accused of using sport to improve their reputation which has been marred by wrongdoing. Something that is better known as sportswashing.
“They are investing colossal amounts of money in entertainment and sporting events to launder its image and portray itself as a “reformist” and “progressive” state. Major sporting events in Saudi Arabia should be seen in this context- as more potential sportswashing,” Amnesty International’s regional campaigner Reina Wehbi told Ubitennis earlier this year.
“These expensive public relations schemes help Saudi Arabia turn the focus away from its appalling human rights record and avoid scrutiny for its continuous human rights violations.’
“Sporting bodies have a responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate the human rights impact directly linked to their events.”
Responding to the criticism, Saudi officials have dismissed such allegations and insist they have taken action to improve the rights of their people in recent times. Government Programme Saudi Vision 2030 is focused on making the country more diversified both socially and economically.
However, the idea that there will be a dramatic cultural change in the Middle Eastern nation is something extremely unlikely to happen. For example, Saudi Arabia draws most of its legal framework from Sharia law which forbids homosexuality. In February their official tourism website stated for the first time that LGBT visitors are welcomed as long as they are not required to disclose their details. Basically, as long as a gay person doesn’t flaunt their homosexuality there will be no issue. A stance that was also reiterated to Ubitennis by the Saudi Tennis Federation.
“It’s not ideal and I hope the country is going to evolve in the coming years,” openly gay player Greet Minnen told Ubitennis during Wimbledon. “The WTA is going to make sure they respect us as players. Not put heterosexual players in front of LGBT players in scheduling or something.”
“It’s not ideal and I hope the country is going to evolve in the coming years.”
It is very unlikely that players such as Minnen or Daria Kasatkina will face any difficulty whilst potentially playing in Saudi Arabia considering how determined the country is to prove its status as an international sporting powerhouse. Something that will undoubtedly be a kick in the stomach for those who are LGBT and living in the country.
The scrutiny of topics such as human rights in the country will be questions the governing bodies of tennis will face over the coming months. Ubitennis understands that the Next Gen is unlikely to be the only event hosted in the country in the near future. One premier WTA tournament is currently being negotiated with a deal yet to be formalized and there has been previous interest in rights to an ATP event separate from the Next Gen Finals.
“It is always well received when you have different people come into tennis. I think it’s great if they want to come. This is helping many people in low or big situations. I hope they can come,” Diego Schwartzman previously commented.
“I think if we have new people and new tournaments. It’s a different era.”
The bottom line is that Saudi investment in tennis is here to stay and it is something that can only be accepted. This doesn’t mean that those within the tennis community shouldn’t call out the authorities over serious issues if they wish to. Those who do should be commended. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar came under heavy criticism for its anti-homosexuality laws even though the country has held tennis events for more than 20 years without receiving such scrutiny.
“I’m a huge believer in engagement,” WTA co-founder Billie Jean King said in June. “I don’t really think you can change unless you engage. That’s just me personally, I’m not speaking for anyone else here. I’m a big believer in engaging, so I don’t know what that really means in the end, but just meeting people.”
The ATP and WTA will say they are doing what King said. In reality, they are reluctant to turn their back on Saudi Arabia’s investment which will be worth millions.
