Dominic Thiem and Gael Monfils have been announced as the latest players to play at an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
The duo will join Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev to play at the Diriyah Tennis Cup from December 8-10 this year.
The Diriyah Tennis Cup - last played in 2019 and won by Medvedev - will consist of a total of 12 players competing for a $3 million prize fund and played at the Diriyah Arena, which is being purpose built at the ancient site of the Kingdom’s first capital, known as the home of kings and heroes.
The event is part of what's known as the Diriyah Season, a four-month-long celebration of sport, entertainment and culture being held on the outskirts of Riyadh. It was last held three years ago before the Covid-19 pandemic suspended sport around the world.
Monfils, another player returning to the event for a second time, admits his run to the semi-finals last time out helped him in his decision to return.
He said: “I have only very good memories of the first edition of the Diriyah Tennis Cup 2019. It was an amazing tournament! The fans were really great. That’s why I’m happy to be able to compete again in Saudi Arabia, especially after my long injury break”
However, the news of the event and the players that have signed up has not gone done well in some quarters, due to Saudi Arabia being widely condemned in the western world for an abysmal human rights record.
Zverev has been slammed in his native Germany, with journalist Simon Häring accusing the World No.6 of being a 'puppet of oil sheikhs.'
The second edition of the Diriyah Season will play host to top international championships, including an individual show jumping series, the basketball FIBA 3×3 World Tour along with the Diriyah Season competition where Al-Hilal Saudi team will face Newcastle United, and the Italian Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) where AC Milan will face Inter Milan.
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