ATP Expands Masters 1000 with New Saudi Arabia Event – Tennis Now

By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 23, 2025
Photo credit: Netflix/Six Kings Slam

The ATP Masters calendar will undergo a major makeover.

In a landmark move, the ATP and SURJ Sports Investment, a PIF Company, announced today a new 10th Masters 1000 tournament will be staged in Saudi Arabia.

This marks the first ever expansion of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

The new Saudi Masters 1000 tournament is scheduled to begin as early as 2028. It will feature a 56-player draw and is expected to be a week-long tournament.

It joins 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 the ATP Masters 1000 schedule will feature 10 tournaments.

The ATP touts the deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as “a new era for global tennis and a major sports transformation in Saudi Arabia,”

It deepens the connection 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 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’s been years in the making,” ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement. “Saudi Arabia has shown a genuine commitment to tennis – not just at the professional level, but also in growing the game more broadly at all levels.

“PIF’s ambition for the sport is clear, and we believe fans and players alike will be amazed by what’s coming. Strengthening our premium events is driving record growth and transformation across the Tour, and we’re grateful to our partners at PIF and SURJ for helping deliver that growth and sharing in this vision.”

Photo credit: SURJ Sports Investment/ATP

As PIF’s investment in the ATP and WTA has increased in recent years, there were reports the Saudis would buy Miami and Madrid from IMG and move one or both Masters 1000 events to Saudi Arabia. However, that did not happen. Instead, the Saudis have bought their own new Masters 1000 tournament.

It is believed the new Saudi Masters will be played on hard courts, though 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 the ATP is absolutely tone deaf to the complaints of several stars about the schedule already being too long and punishing. 

Critics say this is another example of a cash grab with the ATP putting profits over players’ health by cramming another mandatory Masters 1000 tournament into an already over-crowded calendar. They also question why would tennis, a sport that prides itself on equality and integrity, expand its partnership with a repressive regime where same-sex relationships are illegal and human rights violations can run rampant?

After Holger Rune blew out his Achilles in the Stockholm semifinals on Saturday his mom and manager, Aneke Rune, blasted the ATP as setting players up for pain and injury with its mandatory tournament requirements.

“There have simply been too many mandatory tournaments. Tournaments that players are obliged to participate in, and where they are severely punished financially by not playing them all,” Aneke Rune told B.T. “The players simply don’t get 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 single tournament. There is no rest – neither physically nor mentally.”

Photo credit: Netflix/Six Kings Slam

Supporters say the ATP is doing the right thing expanding the global game to areas of the world that have proven to be passionate tennis supporters. 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 the Saudis will eventually earn the right to host ATP Finals. Riyadh recently hosted the Six King Slam exhibition which has paid a tennis record $6 million payday each year to two-time champion Jannik Sinner.

In order to grow tennis, the ATP and WTA must expand to new areas and by creating a historic new 10th Masters 1000 event the Tour is providing more jobs and lucrative potential paydays for players. This is clearly a win-win-win event for the ATP, the Saudis and the players, say supporters and dealmakers.

“Bringing an ATP Masters 1000 event to Saudi Arabia is a major step forward for tennis in the region and a reflection of our shared commitment with ATP to the growth of the game around the world,” Bander Bin Mogren, Chairman of SURJ Sports Investment, said. “This announcement underscores Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a major destination for world-class sport and strengthens 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 we are committed to delivering a tournament that leaves a lasting legacy for the sport.”