LIV Golf’s arrival has not just erupted the golfing fraternity but also the entire sporting world. Recently, tennis great Novak Djokovic and Women’s No. 5 in the World Jessica Pegula have expressed their thoughts on the rumors building up regarding the LIV Golf-like tennis circuit.
While speaking on the rumors, Novak Djokovic stated that he wanted the game of tennis to evolve and innovate. However, according to the tennis great, it was still unknown if there was any clarity on the LIV Golf-like tennis circuit being developed any soon. As quoted by The Guardian, he said,
“We are one of the most globally watched and popular sports in the world, but I think that we have been quite conservative and conventional in certain aspects, and that unfortunately hasn’t really been a great appeal to the younger audience.”
Meanwhile, World No. 5 among women, Jessica Pegula felt that Saudi Arabia has “infinite amounts of money” and they are already getting involved in every sport. As quoted by The Guardian, she said,
“I feel like it’s going to happen eventually, because money talks, and they have infinite amounts of money and they seem to be involved in every single sport in the world except for ours.”
Jessica Pegula added that she was confident that a new LIV Golf-like tennis circuit is certainly going to be on the floor sooner or later.
“So I’m sure ours is coming,” Pegula added.
Tennis Great Novak Djokovic is Still Confused On New LIV Golf Style “Elite Tour” Rumors
The rumors of an LIV Golf-like elite tour to be introduced have been intensified lately. Some reports suggest that it can be developed in 2025 to rival well-established ATP and WTA tours. However, Novak Djokovic had a different take on that matter. He called himself a big supporter of the tennis’ history and tradition.
As per The Guardian, Novak Djokovic said that they needed to adjust the game of tennis according to new and younger audiences. He wanted to make the game of tennis appealing to the younger audience.
“I’m a big supporter of our history and tradition and everything, I think we should always nurture that. But I think we need to try to adjust to the modern times and try to understand what the younger audience wants and really make the tennis more appealing to that group,” Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic stated that he did hear the rumors regarding the new LIV Golf-like elite tour but has no idea if it would ever be developed sooner.
“So that’s in terms of general overview. And where I stand [on talk of a rebel tour], I have no idea what elite tour you’re talking about. I have heard rumors as well, but it is, I guess, still early stages and we didn’t see anything concrete out there.”
When LIV Golf entered the market, it received a lot of criticism due to its Saudi backers. Some fans and experts called it a way for Saudi Arabia to “Sportswashing”. They felt that the league was established to hide their depleting human rights. However, big players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson still made a switch leaving the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in fray.
With the rumors of a LIV Golf-like tennis circuit around, there is a high possibility that it would be launched sooner or later. Although there is no assurance that it would recruit some top tennis players or not.
