TENNIS – SAUDI Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will launch a new ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the Kingdom from 2028, marking the first expansion of the elite category in its 35-year history, the ATP and PIF-owned SURJ Sports Investment said yesterday.
The new event will make Saudi Arabia the 10th Masters 1000 host, joining Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi called the announcement “a proud moment that has been years in the making,” saying Saudi Arabia had “shown a genuine commitment to tennis — not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly.”
The event will be owned and operated in Saudi Arabia, staged over one week with a 56-player draw on outdoor hard courts, and will not be mandatory for players. SURJ Sports CEO Danny Townsend said they were working with the ATP to create “a world-class stadium and the infrastructure to deliver the tournament.”
Townsend stressed the new Masters would not replace the Six Kings Slam, a PIF-backed exhibition featuring six top male players.
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