The ATP calendar could not be more jam-packed than it already is. Yet, things are about to undergo a major change in the near future and Rafael Nadal is one big name who has got the ball rolling. In Andy Roddick’s new podcast, ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, the former World No. 1 player mentioned a few interesting points in the 3rd episode.
In it, Roddick said that if Saudi Arabia gets their way of hosting tennis events in the future, scheduling can be a nightmare for administrators of the game. Therefore, he provided a solution. But will the solution be good enough? Or are there more problems as proven by Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev inadvertently? Let’s find out.
That Saudi Arabia wants to take over the ATP calendar has been looming for quite some time now. With Rafael Nadal’s backing, and very soon Roger Federer’s probable shift of the Laver Cup there, the Middle Eastern country can rise to be a major powerhouse in tennis. This poses an immense threat to all the existing ATP 500 and ATP 250 series. Andy Roddick suggests that the Saudi Arabia-based event be conducted in February, right after the Australian Open.
However, right around the same time several ATP events already exist. Dallas Open, Open 13 Provence, Rotterdam Open, Delray Beach Open are some examples. The list of events just continuously flows one after another without any break. Therefore, it will be hard to find any room for any Saudi-based event there.
At the same time, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev have backed out of the upcoming ATP 250 Qatar Open 2024. Taking place from 9-24 February, both Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev were playing in the tournament as per previous news. Medvedev was the top seed and Nadal found his place using the ‘Protected Ranking’ system.
While Nadal is still recovering from his hip tear, Medvedev has a foot injury and fatigue. He is also missing the Rotterdam Open due to it.
The Qatar Open will become an ATP 500 event next year onwards. With Saudi Arabia developing leaps and bounds in this sector, the Qatar Open could also be threatened. There are even talks of Saudi Arabia buying the top ATP events like Indian Wells and Miami Open. These events are a huge draw for players who wish to improve their rankings and earn bulk ATP points and big prize money. At Indian Wells, the prize money is $8,800,000 which is the same in the Miami Open as well.
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s backing, Saudi Arabia could shake things up in the tennis world big time
One of the reasons why tournaments and players are moving to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries is because of its lucrative value. Many players play exhibition matches there, and if they buy big ATP events, the prize money is likely to increase, which further increases their chances of going there. This is the reason, Rafael Nadal seems to have signed the estimated USD 750 million deal according to several media reports for 5 years in the country.
Saudia entering the tennis market big time will definitely warrant some strong decisions from players. They will have to choose from within the calendar and they might very well sacrifice the ATP events in Qatar and the UAE. When the competitions there get killed, they might warrant their own big shot tournaments. There are several pathways in which the future of tennis can unfold, all courtesy of Saudi Arabia.
