Tennis chief sends warning over own "civil war" amid PGA Tour vs LIV Golf saga

08 December 2023 , 00:36

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ATP tennis does not want to crate a civil war with Saudi Arabia, should they get into tennis

ATP Tour chief Andrea Gaudenzi believes that having a "civil war" will not help grow the game of tennis as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund [PIF], which disrupted the PGA Tour with LIV Golf, is rumoured to be looking to create their own tennis tour.

There have been rumors that the nine Masters 1000 events could be taken over and included in a new breakaway tour. ATP Tour head Gaudenzi has responded vehemently to these rumorus, and warned that a breakaway tour featuring the four Grand Slam events would not work with the current tennis set-up.

When asked if he was concerned about a breakaway tour, he suggested that bringing men's and women's tours and Grand Slam event organizers closer together would be the best way to advance the sport. Golf has been dominated by the in-fighting and politics caused by the creation of LIV Golf with a long-term solution yet to be found.

Gaudenzi has addressed claims suggesting that the PIF wants to establish a new tennis tour that includes all four major Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The planned tour would also feature 10 Masters series events, including an additional tournament to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.

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Gaudenzi then reflected on a need for more knowledge about combining the entities and working together, suggesting that "I think that generally there is a lot of noise in that regard," he said about a potential Saudi breakaway tour. "Ultimately, whatever was written in that article, it is definitely the concept of focusing on a premium product, which will mean the Slams and the Masters and the premium product, all together combined, is a very powerful proposition for the consumers."

different individuals might have varying ideas on how to address the issue. He emphasized a commitment to unity with Saudi Arabia, advocating for exploring solutions through conversations because people can find common ground through dialogue.

"Because ultimately, we are aligned. We are all pushing for tennis to be stronger and growing, vis-à-vis the other sports and vis-à-vis the other entertainment properties. So we're the same side, we're the same team – that's team tennis. Having civil war doesn't help."

The ATP tennis calendar could change with a potential addition of Saudi Arabia

Instead of being divided like the PGA Tour and LIV, Gaudenzi shared that the ATP and the Saudi Arabia Investment Fund are exploring different opportunities together and want to work together. He further emphasized the importance of tennis in the Middle East, but the ATP's biggest challenge is the jammed schedule.

The ATP Tour features 64 tennis tournaments across 31 countries. Saudi Arabia reportedly wants to expand that number to 100. They are reportedly considering the possibility of organizing a 10th ATP Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia.

There is a possibility that a tournament will be held before the Australian Open in Melbourne. However, this could be a problem for the warm-up events in Australia. This is because the Masters event in Saudi Arabia offers significant prize money and ranking points, which may attract top players to participate in the tournament at the start of the year.

Rory Robinson