by British tennis chiefs have rejected shock ATP proposals to partner with Saudi Arabia as the Middle Eastern nation becomes the latest target for dominance this year.
The Public Investment Fund was in line with a significant branding deal for the Queen’s and Eastbourne tournament before the Lawn Tennis Association rejected the offer.
In a move that would have upset the English grass court cleaners, international tour executives reached terms that would leave the Riyadh brand with significant advertising.
Well-placed sources said the partnership was conceived as the first stage of even more ambitious plans for Saudi Arabia in tennis after multi-billion golf and football projects.
However, the LTA board is understood to have flatly rejected a lucrative proposal negotiated between Saudi Arabia and the ATP to include the two summer tournaments.
“We refused to participate in this sponsorship proposal sent to us by the ATP and PIF,” said the LTA Sports telegraph in a statement.
The Saudi-ATP proposal was to include the two summer tournaments in a package sponsorship deal with several other events, including the Masters 1000s in Miami and Madrid. The choice of Queen’s and Eastbourne – smaller competitions worth 500 and 250 points respectively – underlined the importance of the United Kingdom to Saudi interests.
However, while the decision to reject the deal was made solely by the LTA board, several sources close to the talks suggest the deal would not be welcomed by the All England Club, one of the most prominent organizations in the sport in the world. in choosing branding partnerships.
However, Saudi Arabia’s increased involvement is almost certain in international tennis, which has seen years of debate about how best to avoid the chaos seen in golf during the Golf LIV project.
Saudi officials have been in direct talks with top tennis executives for more than a year about multiple potential investments. In October, the country announced that it would host two tennis exhibitions at the end of December, including a match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Four sources with close commercial dealings in Riyadh say tennis is a top priority for the country.
Tennis has long been hampered by its controversial governance which sees players reaping around 25 per cent of the sport’s revenue, when many team sports receive 50 per cent. In addition to Saudi interest in major investment, another challenge to the status quo comes from the rival players’ union founded by 24-time major champion Djokovic – the PTPA.
Sports telegraph detailed in September how, in response, the men’s and women’s tennis tours took the first steps toward a historic merger, inviting tournament executives and representatives to a two-day summit in London.
Talks will resume in Melbourne during the looming Australian Open, with another possible scenario of a so-called Premier Tier that would elevate the four major events and 10 Masters 1000s above rank-and-file tournaments in places like Antwerp and Delray Beach.
The Saudis want to host a new Masters 1000 event in Riyadh
Amidst this ferment, ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi did not travel to Australia after a recent bout of Covid. Meanwhile, the ATP also canceled the traditional players’ meeting on the eve of the Australian Open, citing an intention to reschedule it sometime in the spring.
Among women players, at least, there is likely to be more resistance to Saudi investment than there was in football, golf and F1 around sports laundering.
The WTA had to shelve proposals to hold last year’s finals in Riyadh due to public opposition from the likes of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert – both of whom highlighted Saudi Arabia’s regressive stance on women.
However, Saudi Arabia’s desire to be part of the tennis establishment – including adding a new Masters 1000 event in Riyadh to the men’s tour – remains a point of debate, with the nation still in the forefront to stage the WTA finals this year.
Although the ATP led negotiations with Saudi Arabia over sponsorship of Queen’s and Eastbourne, recommendations have since been made to the LTA, which runs the English events played in the run-up to Wimbledon. IMG, the sports and entertainment conglomerate that is part of Endeavour, owns both the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Miami. Those two IMG tournaments were initially targeted for an outright buyout by Saudi Arabia, which already hosts the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition in December, but the two parties are understood to have spent months in communication without agreeing on a deal.
Sources said the ATP proposal did not involve online car retailer Cinch as title sponsor for Queen’s or Rothesay, the pensions specialist, for Eastbourne. The ATP declined to comment on the plans on Wednesday.
