Saudi Arabia is determined to widen its horizons, and sport has become its favorite. The country has taken over Golf with the highly scrutinized merger of the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. The Arab superpower is also revolutionizing soccer by buying a majority stake in multiple world-renowned clubs in European soccer but does not have full control of the game yet. Now, they have turned their attention to tennis. However, it is much trickier than the other sports, as the sport is not entirely managed by just one or two governing bodies. Recently, the Australian Open chief Craig Tiley stands firm in his statement that tennis will not be divided like Golf, irrespective of the lucrative Saudi investment. Tiley spoke to reporters about the ongoing discussions the ATP chief is having with Saudi Arabia.

The country previously divided Golf by attracting players with more money to join the tournament the country owns. It led to the merger of both tournaments after a ton of controversies and disputes. So, its investment in tennis raises similar concerns that Tiley has addressed.

Craig Tiley explains why tennis will not end up like golf

The Australian Open chief assured the public that the fate of tennis would be in good hands. Since Saudi is directly dealing with the ATP, Tiley feels that the chances of the game going haywire like golf are minimal to non-existent. The game demands intricacy since tennis has seven governing bodies, including the four Slams, WTA, ATP, and ITF.

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Speaking of why tennis investment is different, Tiley stated, “What’s different to what we’re seeing (in other sports) is this is an investment in the current structure of the game and not an investment in an alternative option. But like everything in the world, there’s lots of changes always going on. So you’ve got to watch what’s going on and stay close to it,” reported by Yahoo Sport.

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The sixty-one-year-old opined that the ultimate decision vests with the ATP and WTA Tour as he has nothing to do with the negotiation. He remarked, “But, ultimately, that’s a decision for the men’s and the women’s tour.” 

The CEO of Tennis Australia further spoke about how the four Slams work together and have improved communication over the years.

The investment does not disrupt the four pillars of tennis

Tiley is optimistic about the unity of the seven governing bodies and told the press that they have timely conversations about the Slams. He said, “We are working closely together on a number of different fronts and the contribution we make to the tour is significant. In fact, if you bring the value of the four grand slams together, it represents over 60 per cent of the entire tour, which is different to golf and different to other sports.”

With the CEO’s revelation, it became clear that Slams contribute to more than half of the value of ATP and WTA put together. This ensures that the four Slams do not need investment from foreign sources and can continue the way they are operating.

However, Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sport washing’ due to its stance on human rights and the freedom to express and be oneself. But top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios are confident that playing in Saudi Arabia is inevitable. Kyrgios even felt that it increases the value of players as they will receive their deserved share of pay.

Do you think the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia will make its way into tennis soon? Give us your thoughts in the comments.

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