The ATP announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia will host a new Masters tournament from 2028. While the exact date of the tournament is still unknown, it will most likely be played in February, along with the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championship.
Saudi Arabia is increasingly involved in various sports, including tennis, and it seems that this project could be a great thing for the sport.
More and more players are publicly expressing their dissatisfaction with the overcrowded tennis calendar, believing that it is necessary to take certain steps to ensure that players have enough time to rest and regenerate their bodies.
However, the announcement of the tournament in Saudi Arabia has caused mixed reactions among famous players, while world number 2 Jannik Sinner shared only positive emotions regarding such changes in an interview with Ubi Tennis.
The Italian tennis player recently performed at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, dominating from the first to the last day and taking home a prize of as much as $6 million.
I believe this is the first time a Masters 1000 has been added to the calendar.
From my experience in that country, the population is very young, and the market could become very large: I see it positively, lets see what it will bring to us players.- he said, as quoted by Tennis Gazette.
The 24-year-old highlighted the importance of Masters tournaments for ranking points and, while it is too early to make any predictions, Sinner expects this to be a positive thing.
A Masters is important for the points, and for those who are starting to play at that level. Im not exactly sure when it will be played, but overall, I think its a positive thing.
Reactions from others
How other players will react is hard to say for sure, but it seems likely to cause additional frustration for players given their already busyschedule.
The world of tennis could change in the coming years with new projects and visions, but it is clear that players also have a voice, and their words can significantly influence changes in the sport.
