Explosive Exhibition Tennis Tournament in Saudi Arabia Draws Criticism and Controversy

The exhibition tournament, in which no world ranking points are awarded, is explosively played during the regular ATP season.

In October the tennis calendar is already very full with the Masters tournaments in Shanghai and Paris Bercy.

“After several other tennis players have already done so, I am very excited to play in Riyadh for the first time,” said 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, who has been an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Association since January.

While Saudi Arabia has been criticized internationally for the human rights situation there, the kingdom has been making headlines for years as the host of major sporting events – and its involvement in tennis has also recently increased.

Icons brace themselves against the WTA tournament in Saudi Arabia

Sports icons Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova recently criticized those in charge of the women’s tennis organization WTA, who are thinking about hosting the WTA finals in Saudi Arabia.

“We didn’t help build women’s tennis so that it could be exploited by Saudi Arabia,” Evert and Navratilova wrote in an article.

The kingdom is already hosting the Next Gen Finals, where the best young players on the ATP tour compete in Jeddah.

The next highlight awaits in October, which will be part of the Saudi cultural and entertainment festival “Riyadh Season”.

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2024-02-06 10:44:00
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