LONDON: The Next Gen Finals are the latest major sporting event to head to Saudi Arabia with the ATP announcing on Thursday that Jeddah will be the host city until 2027.
This year’s end-of-season tournament will take place over five days at the King Abdullah Sports City on indoor hard court from November 28 to December 2, with a record $2 million prize money on offer.
The finals have been held for the last five years in Milan.
Jeddah’s successful bid makes history as the first official professional tennis event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
“The ATP Tour is truly global and exploring new markets is central to growing the game,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
“Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to inspire new fans, in a region with a vast young population, and unite audiences around tennis.
“Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF), we look forward to building on the event’s incredible success together,” he added.
The Next Gen Finals, first launched in 2017, brings together the world’s best 21-and-under players.
Nine of the current top 10 players in the ATP rankings have competed at the event, including past champions Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and current world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
Tennis is at a major inflection point in Saudi Arabia.
Recreational clinics are at full capacity across the country, reflecting STF’s commitment to raisin gawareness and fostering interest among Saudi’s young, sport-enthusiastic population.
Ambitious participation targets, an increase the number of international tennis competitions, and establishing tennis as the marquee gender-equal sport in Saudi Arabia, have all been set as objectives in line with Vision 2030, that aspires to turn the Kingdom into a major sports, entertainment and tourism hub.
Arij Mutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said: “We are extremely proud that ATP has selected Jeddah to host such an important tennis event. The Next Gen ATP Finals embodies the philosophy of our Federation, which is to inspire young talent to reach the sport’s highest levels. We’re excited to collaborate to promote the ATP Tour’s most promising rising stars, and showcase new sporting innovations, in our special city of Jeddah.”
* With AFP
