Nick Kyrgios approves of ATP Tour-Saudi Arabian investment talks: "Sign me up!"

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After disrupting the world of professional golf and upending European soccer, Saudi Arabia appears to have its sights set on men’s tennis. And Nick Kyrgios, last year’s Wimbledon finalist, says “Sign me up!” to the injection of cash that would come along with it.

Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP Tour’s chairman, recently confirmed that “positive” talks have taken place with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who are seeking to purchase a stake in the men’s professional tour. In an interview with the Financial Times, Gaudenzi said that the PIF would have to “stick to respecting the history of the sport and the product, working with the current stakeholder rather than against...

“You have to preserve something which is almost sacred, the rules of the game. This is not a video game, this is not a movie.”

His warning comes after the Fund made major strides in golf, luring top golfers away from the PGA Tour and PGA European Tour and creating the breakaway LIV Tour. The organizations eventually agreed to merge after two seasons, but the ensuing backlash—including accusations of sportswashing—and legal battle have yet to subside.

You have to preserve something which is almost sacred, the rules of the game. This is not a video game, this is not a movie. Andrea Gaudenzi, on a potential ATP Tour-PIF deal

Top soccer players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have also recently departed European leagues and opted to compete in the cash-flush Saudi pro league, netting up to $200 and $215 million a year, respectively.

These are mouthwatering figures for Kyrgios, who took to social media on Monday to express his enthusiastic approval of the potential ATP-Saudi Arabia deal.

“Finally. They see the value. We are going to get paid what we deserve to get paid. Sign me up,” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter, typing in caps-lock and adding 10 ‘money bag’ emojis.

It’s not the first time that Saudi Arabia has earmarked tennis for a potential investment. Jeddah is widely rumored to be the frontrunner to host this year’s ATP NextGen Finals, which are currently held in Milan, after the bid process launched in March.

Back in 2018, organizers in Jeddah attempted to host an off-season exhibition event featuring Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but it was eventually called off due to the former’s ankle injury. The cancellation followed waves of public pressure, as the event was announced in the weeks following the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Roger Federer, who was initially invited—and rumored to earn $1-2 million for an appearance—said it was a “quick decision” to turn down the trip.

“They contacted me too. I prefer not to play,” he told press at the time. “I’m happy practising. I’m happy doing other things, and I didn’t want to play there at that time. So, for me, it was a very quick decision.”

Saudi Arabia got its big-name exhibition with the Diriyah Tennis Cup, which has been running since 2019. Last season, it attracted top men’s players including Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and more—despite the urging of organizations like Amnesty International to not participate in “the latest jamboree of Saudi sportswashing.”

Last year, a WTA spokesperson confirmed that the women’s tour has also “received inquiries from Saudi Arabia” with the interest of bringing a WTA event to the region, but had “not entered into formal negotiations”. The women’s tour eventually opted for private investment through a strategic partnership with CVC, which is set to inject $150 million for a 20 percent stake.

The Saudi interest nonetheless follows a trend of increased investment into women’s sport, including tennis and soccer, after reforms in the country opened doors for female athletes.

Recently, Saudi Arabia marked a historic milestone in women’s tennis after sending its first ever female team to an ITF event. A four-member Saudi team competed at the Billie Jean King Cup junior pre-qualifying event in February.