Carlos Alcaraz has “no doubts” he will play in Saudi Arabia in the future, and predicted the kingdom has the power to significantly change tennis.
The world No 1’s comments came after the head of the Association of Tennis Professionals, Andrea Gaudenzi, revealed he had held “positive” talks with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund about a potential partnership with the men’s tour.
Speaking after beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 in the final at Queen’s Club to go back to the top of the world rankings, Alcaraz seemed to accept that some sort of deal was inevitable given the huge amount of money the Saudi Public Investment Fund has at its disposal. The Spaniard also showed no indication of being against it.
“I think they have the power to have a lot of tournaments,” the 20-year-old said. “I have never played an official tournament over there, and let’s see how it is going to be in the future. But, well, I have no doubts that I will play over there in the future.”
Players such as Daniil Medvedev and Cameron Norrie have competed in Saudi Arabia at the Diriyah Tennis Cup, a lucrative exhibition event held in 2019 and 2022.
However the kingdom has never staged an ATP tournament. But that looks set to change with Gaudenzi revealing he has spoken to PIF – and other investors – about providing extra money for events, infrastructure, and technology investment.
However, speaking to the Financial Times, he made it clear that he was wary of tennis going down the same path as golf, which has been riven with conflict since the arrival of LIV Golf last year.
Pointedly, Gaudenzi warned potential investors that they must “stick to respecting the history of the sport and the product, working with the current stakeholder rather than against”.
Gaudenzi said: “You have to preserve something which is almost sacred, the rules of the game. This is not a video game, this is not a movie.”
Rumours that the Saudis are interested in tennis have swirled around the sport for over a year and it is expected the ATP’s Next Gen Finals, the end-of-season event for players aged 21 and under, will switch from Milan to Jeddah as part of a new five-year deal. Last year the Women’s Tennis Association also admitted that PIF had made an inquiry about the possibility of hosting an official tour event in the women’s game.
Like golf, tennis is fragmented with the four majors being separate from the ATP, WTA and the International Tennis Federation, which acts as the world governing body of tennis.
However Gaudenzi, a former player who reached No 18 in the world, warned against the sport being broken apart. “You want one ranking and you want one simple story,” he said. “Ultimately, you want to see the top players playing in the best events in the world. The more you fragment and divide, the more you create confusion.”
Meanwhile Alcaraz’s victory at Queen’s Club makes him believe he can secure the Wimbledon title when it begins on Monday week. “I have a lot of confidence,” the reigning US Open champion said. “I ended the week playing at a high level. So right now I feel like one of the favourites to win Wimbledon.”
