'No Doubts I Will Play There': Alcaraz On Saudi Arabia Buying Into Tennis

ATP
Sunday, 25 June 2023 at 22:00
Updated at Sunday, 29 December 2024 at 19:21
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Carlos Alcaraz was asked about possible Saudi Arabia's involvement in the ATP Tour, and he answered, as always, honestly.

The 20-year-old Spaniard is one of the biggest names in tennis and quite likely might be the face of the sport for the next 10-15 years, which is good news for Saudi Arabia and their rumored move to buy into tennis.

For quite some while there have been rumours about Saudi Arabia trying to buy into tennis with their almost endless resources. The country doesn't have an extensive history in tennis, but tennis has been played in the vicinity of the country for a long time, so tennis players are quite familiar with the area.

Plenty of players take part in events there every year, and the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia has seen plenty of the top players taking part since it was established as well.

The main incentive is obviously money, with those off-season events featuring some of the biggest prize pools outside of Grand Slams. The less glamorous side to all of this is something that many human rights organizations term sports washing.

They are concentrated efforts by countries with allegedly questionable human rights records to clean up their image by hosting lavish sports ceremonies hence why fans and human rights organizations around the world have heavily criticized participation in those events.

Saudi Arabia as a country has been heavily investing in sports for a while, and it was only a matter of time before its sights turned to tennis. According to reports, it's coming fairly soon, and in some ways, it's already happened, with the Next Gen ATP Finals reportedly being held in the country this year.

Some players have taken a firm stance against playing in the country, but it's not an issue for Alcaraz.

"And the second question, I mean, I think they have the power, you know, to have a lot of tournaments. I don't know. I have never played a tournament, an official tournament over there. But, you know, let's see how is gonna be in the future, but, well, I have no doubts that I will play over there in the future."
- Alcaraz on playing in Saudi Arabia
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