Nick Kyrgios is one of the most famous names in the world of tennis, having won 7 ATP titles and being ranked World No.33 at the moment in men’s singles tennis. Much like his flamboyant, irreverent style of play and demeanor on the court, Kyrgios is also known to be extremely straightforward and opinionated about ongoing events and people in the sport. However, it seems that he has landed himself in another controversy courtesy Twitter.
Responding to a tweet on Saudi Arabia’s investment in tennis, Kyrgios celebrated it insinuating that tennis players will finally get the money they deserve. Tennis fans, however, did not take too kindly to it. Many called him out for supporting the development, while others urged him not to take the money and protest the decision.
Rumored Saudi Arabia ATP Tour investment excites Nick Kyrgios
It has recently been reported that the ATP Tour management has been in positive talks with the Saudi Arabian government, which wishes to invest in the men’s game through it’s much publicized Public Investment Fund (PIF). Through the PIF, Saudi Arabia has significant financial stakes through events and sporting teams in other sports as well as, with Football, Formula 1, Boxing, Golf, Cricket and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) being prime examples. Notably, this sovereign wealth fund is approximately worth a whopping $650 billion at present, as per a Yahoo report.
With tennis also being in the sights of the Saudi Arabian government, as part of it’s ambitious ‘Vision 2030’ plan, Riyadh or Jeddah could become the next city to host the year-end ATP World Tour Finals. The ATP is keen on expanding its reach in the Middle East or the GCC countries. Over the years, the United Arab Emirates has predominantly featured in the annual calendar of events. It was only in 2019 when the Diriyah Cup was launched, which has been played twice in Saudi Arabia so far and had the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas participating in the editions.
However, it remains to be seen if the ATP is able to convince the Saudis to work alongside with them within the conventions of the game and the values it stands for. Nevertheless, sensing a positive outcome, Nick Kyrgios and Carlos Alcaraz recently commented in public about it, favoring the Saudi investment. Alcaraz has ‘no doubt’ that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia regularly in the future for events or exhibition matches.
While Kyrgios had a tweet of his own to respond to the news, claiming that players on the ATP Tour like him ‘will finally get paid what they deserve to be paid’. The comment certainly raised eyebrows not just because of his support for the country, but also since tennis players are perceived to be amongst the highest-paid when global sports are considered, more so when they win major titles and are able to become marketable to their supporters and the community.
Taking a direct shot at the ATP on social media is not apparently helping Kyrgios at this point and here are some enthusiasts’ reactions to his opinion –
To provide more context to the conversation, Saudi Arabia has come under tremendous criticism over the years for it’s political stance on human rights. Much like their neighbors Qatar, Saudi Arabia has also been accused of using sports to whitewash their controversies as a ‘PR’ tool and help market their tourism campaigns.
Kyrgios and Alcaraz: How much are their career earnings so far?
Nick Kyrgios’ net worth is approximately above $8 million, as he has endorsement deals with the likes of Yonex, Nike and Beats. In prize money, he has reportedly won $12 million so far. This is possibly due to missing out on several competitions despite being on the ATP Tour since 2013.
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz has clearly stunned the world looking at his age and inexperience. Not many 20-year-olds in most professions globally earn $17 million, that too within just 3 years like the Spaniard has. Alcaraz’s game and marketability increased further after he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open 2022. He is said to have earned $4.8 million already in 2023 in addition to the $5.9 million from the 2022 calendar year.
Nevertheless, Kyrgios and Alcaraz are all set to play next in the upcoming Wimbledon 2023 Championships as both men seek to win their first men’s singles Grand Slam title at the All England Club.
