From kings to queens: more tennis and more millions in Saudi Arabia

It continues to rain millions in the Arabian desert and under this incessant downpour of money, tennis continues to rattle and put the pressure on, which, like other sports such as football, Formula 1 or golf, has now jumped on the bandwagon without any pretense. The restlessness or disaffection expressed lukewarmly by some of the circuit’s references a few months ago has disappeared and these days a very different image and message is spreading in Riyadh, where the six kings recently paraded who, in order to dispute a bolus three days —Six Kings Slamin commercial terms—they earned 1.3 million euros per head and 5.5 in the case of the champion, Jannik Sinner. Now, these WTA Finals that have been looking for accommodation for years seem to have landed in a happier place and will distribute no more and no less than 14 million among the competitors.

In contrast to the 106 soccer players from 24 different countries who last week sent a joint letter to FIFA to denounce a regime that “systematically oppresses” women and the LGTBIQ+ community, women’s tennis has chosen to directly access the Saudi showcase, that gains volume. “If I say that I went for fun and without thinking about the money, I would be lying,” admitted Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia in Paris-Bercy. “I don’t play for money. It is important, of course, but not that much…”, expressed the world number one, Sinner. And the new leader of the WTA, Aryna Sabalenka, who in December of last year already participated in an exhibition bathed in dollars, does not seem to find reasons for rejection either: “I have no problem playing here, it is important to bring tennis to all possible places on the planet and inspire young people.”

It is unknown whether the sporting effect will be more or less inspiring in the short or medium term, but for now the most important event of the course after the big four – Australia, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – has chosen the Persian Gulf as its setting. meeting for the eight best players; specifically, Saudi Arabia, where women continue to be subject to “discrimination” and “persecution,” according to specialized reports. Beyond the critical voices of the legendary Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, or the reluctance conveyed by the Polish Swiatek, there is no critical speech these days in Riyadh, where the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza serves as tournament director. Retired since May, the former tennis player states: “I have only heard positive things and here we are. It is a new country for us, a new market that is giving us a great welcome.” And some of the figures participating in the Masters express themselves along those same lines.

“I am fully aware of the situation here. I believe that sport can open doors and, if you want there to be a change, you must do something. “Sport is the simplest way to introduce this change,” says Coco Gauff, recognized for her social commitment. “I would be lying to you if I told you that I didn’t have doubts. One of the things I told them is that if we came here it wasn’t going to be just to play the tournament and leave: we wanted to see a plan in place. A real plan. We have spoken to many Saudi women, including Princess Reema [bin Bandar Al Saud]. I was concerned to see how we could help. I am also aware that we are not going to come here and change everything,” continues the 20-year-old American, who adds: “I wanted to see if I felt uncomfortable, because if I had, I probably wouldn’t come back. After a week here, I feel like they are progressing and moving forward.”

70% more than in 2023

Her compatriot Jessica Pegula also alludes to the transformative effect that sport can potentially have. “We have talked a lot about this with the WTA [rectora del circuito femenino] and everything is going well. We have done several events with young people from the country and several women came up to thank me for playing here. Tennis is growing a lot, I understand that there are 60,000 girls playing tennis throughout the country. It has been the right decision to come here because I feel that we can change the lives of many young girls,” says the US Open finalist, descendant of a family that amasses a fortune estimated at around 6.5 billion euros. And Sabalenka shares the idea: “Saudi Arabia is making a great effort to promote women’s tennis and improve the lives of women. “I am very happy to be part of something that can be historic.”

The appointment of a woman, Arij Almutabagani, as president of the country’s national tennis federation does not seem coincidental,nor the adhesion to the Muguruza project. After achieving cards like those of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Fernando Alonso or Rafael Nadal – ambassador of Saudi tennis since January -, the Spaniard represents another bright face to reinforce the strategy designed by Saudi Arabia in recent years, under the project called Vision 2030; that is, improve their image through the sports platform. Added to this maneuver is another notable one announced in February, when the alliance between the men’s circuit (ATP) and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the Asian country was confirmed in a “multi-year strategic partnership”, without specifying a financial figure. some. Nor did any emerge when the link with Nadal was made official. Yes in the case of golfer Jon Rahm: more than 500 million euros.

The PIF logo shines brightly on the courts around the world and, between agreement and agreement, between millions and more mountains of millions, the tennis players will debate in the coming days to be crowned in Riyadh. From a sporting point of view, the tournament offers the attractive battle between Sabalenka and Swiatek, the undisputed dominators of recent times. The Belarusian (26 years old) recently overtook the Polish woman (23) as number one and will try to succeed the Warsaw girl on the list, winner a year ago in Cancun. There, then, a chaotic organization reflected in an improvised track, empty stands and a game tarnished by rain and wind. It won’t happen this time. On this occasion, maximum comfort in the luxurious Saudi setting, where Sabalenka (6-3 and 6-3 against Qinwen Zheng) and Jasmine Paolini (7-6 (5) and 6-4 against Elena Rybakina) got off to a good start.

To the 300,000 euros they receive just for participating, the first two winners added 365,000 more for their respective victories, and in the event that one of the tennis players wins the title next Saturday without having lost any match, they would pocket almost 4.5 million euros. Having discovered the wealth of the racket, Riad shows off his checkbook and the prize pool grows more than considerable. Taking into account the figures from the last edition, the growth is 69.44%: from 8.2 million to 14 now. In Turin, where the men’s Masters Cup has been hosted since 2021, the increase compared to the distribution corresponding to 2023 is 230,000 euros.