By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 23, 2025
Photo: Netflix/Six Kings Slam
The ATP Masters calendar will undergo a major change.
In a historic move, the ATP and SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF company, announced today that a new 10th Masters 1000 tournament will take place in Saudi Arabia.
This marks the first expansion of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
The new Saudi Masters 1000 tournament is scheduled to start as early as 2028. It will draw 56 players and is expected to be a one-week tournament.
It joins the existing Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, the Toronto-Montreal event, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris, marking the first time in its 35-year history that the ATP Masters 1000 schedule will have 10 tournaments.
The ATP is heralding the deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as “a new era for global tennis and a major sporting transformation in Saudi Arabia.”
It deepens the relationship between the ATP and the Saudi-backed PIF, which is already the official naming partner of the PIF ATP and WTA rankings. As part of the pact, the new event joins the ATP and existing Masters 1000 tournaments as a shareholder in ATP Media, the Tour’s global broadcast and media arm.
“This is a proud moment for us and the result of a journey that has been years in the making.” ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement. “Saudi Arabia has shown a real commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but to growing the game more broadly at all levels.
“The PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what’s to come. The strengthening of our premium events is driving record growth and transformation across the tournament, and we are grateful to our partners at the PIF and SURJ for helping to achieve this growth and sharing in this vision.”
Photo: SURJ Sports Investment/ATP
While the PIF’s investment in the ATP and WTA has increased in recent years, there were reports that the Saudis would buy Miami and Madrid from IMG and move one or both Masters 1000 events to Saudi Arabia. However, this did not happen. Instead, the Saudis have bought their own new Masters 1000 tournament.
It is believed that the new Saudi Masters will be played on hard courts, although the ATP has not yet officially announced the surface for the new tournament.
Initial reaction to the new Masters 1000 event is mixed.
Some say it shows that the ATP is completely deaf to the complaints of some stars that the schedule is already too long and punishing.
Critics say this is another example of an ATP cash grab that puts profits over players’ health by cramming another mandatory Masters 1000 tournament into an already overcrowded calendar. They also wonder why tennis, a sport that prides itself on equality and integrity, would extend its partnership with a repressive regime where same-sex relationships are illegal and human rights abuses can be rampant?
After Holger Rune ruptured his Achilles in the Stockholm semi-final on Saturday, his mother and manager, Many Runes, criticized the ATP for setting players up for pain and injury with mandatory tournament requirements.
“There have simply been too many mandatory tournaments. Tournaments that players are forced to participate in and where they are severely penalized financially for not playing all of them.” Aneke Rune told BT “Players simply don’t have time to recover properly throughout the season.
“What could have been a week off with light training and recharging is now a hectic tournament week with matches every other day, while there are mandatory media events for every tournament. There is no rest – neither physically nor mentally.”
Photo: Netflix/Six Kings Slam
Supporters say the ATP is doing the right thing by expanding the global game to areas of the world that have proven to be passionate supporters of tennis. The Saudis are already deeply invested in tennis. Riyadh has hosted the WTA Finals since 2024 and Jeddah has been the home of the Next Gen ATP Finals since 2023. Now, there is speculation that the Saudis will eventually win the right to host the ATP Finals. Riyadh recently hosted the Six King Slam exhibition, which has paid a tennis record $6 million annually to two-time champion Jannik Sinner.
In order for tennis to grow, the ATP and WTA must expand into new areas, and by creating a historic new 10th Masters 1000 event, the Tour is offering more jobs and potentially lucrative payouts to players. This is clearly a win-win event for the ATP, the Saudis and the players, say supporters and deals.
“Bringing an ATP Masters 1000 event to Saudi Arabia is a huge step forward for tennis in the region and a reflection of our shared commitment with the ATP to grow the game worldwide.” Bander Bin Mogren, Chairman of SURJ Sports Investmentsaid. “This announcement underlines the emergence of Saudi Arabia as a premier destination for world-class sport and reinforces our ambition to support athletes, fans and the wider tennis community for years to come.
“We are proud to be leading this effort with our partners and are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy for the sport.”
