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ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi has announced that the Next Gen ATP Finals will be held in Jeddah from 2023 to 2027.He explained: “The ATP Tour is truly global in nature and exploring new markets is key to growing tennis. Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to capture new fans, in a region with a large young population.
Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation. We look forward to building an incredibly successful event together.”Not everyone, however, agrees with the new maneuver carried out by the ATP.John McEnroe, one of the greatest legends, expressed his point of view without mincing words.He told to puntodebreak.com: “I wouldn’t do it, honestly.
I don’t think our sport needs it. I don’t think it will benefit movement. Personally, I think we shouldn’t do this. I think there are many hypocritical people. They say tennis and golf shouldn’t open doors to the Arab world and, meanwhile, they do business with their own big companies in Saudi Arabia.
Even our governments do business there.”
Saudi Arabia invests in tennis
Saudi Arabia has decided to invest in the world of sport and the impact that the large sums of money available could have on tennis is undeniable. In the world of soccer, for example, some of the best players have chosen to join Arab teams, mainly attracted by the high salaries.Even the president of the Arab Tennis Federation, Arij Mutabagani, said he was proud of this significant result: “We are extremely proud that the ATP has chosen Jeddah to host such an important tennis event.
The Next Gen ATP Finals embody the philosophy of the our Federation, which is to inspire young talents to reach the highest levels of the sport. We are thrilled to partner to promote the ATP Tour’s most promising rising stars and showcase new sporting innovations, in our special city of Jeddah.”
