Tournaments in danger: Why the Golden Swing could be under threat due to new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia

The news of a 10th Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia has been surrounded by a lot of discourse from pundits and fans, questioning the need for another event in the already jam-packed schedule. The ramifications of this is that a number of events will be overlooked, with the ATP getting rid of some 250 and 500 events to prioritise the tournament in Riyadh.

With it commencing in 2028, the event will be only the second Masters 1000 competition on the calendar, which is not mandatory for players to compete in, similar to the Monte-Carlo Masters. It is still expected that many of the top players in the world turn up to compete with a financial rewards beckoning.

The event is planned to be held in February, overlapping with numerous other ATP events. With these other events seen as competition, a Saudi-funded buyback could lead up to five tournaments being cancelled due to the number of competitions ongoing. Adding to this, it is likely that the Golden Swing in in South America could be under threat, with the funding lacking what other events put up. This could see these events being scrapped in favour of the new Masters 1000 event, despite the rising stars in the area, including the likes of Joao Fonseca.

Tournaments in Chile, Brazil and Argentina could be making their way to the chopping block, with other locations in a more primary position. This is not only due to money, but the talent emerging, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating the ATP Tour over the past couple of years. The Grand Slam events in Australia and the USA rises the prominence in events in those areas of the world, leading to South and Latin America the obvious choices to be sacrificed.

It is tough for the ATP to find a place on the calendar for the Saudi Masters with how packed it already is. Grand Slam events take up eight out of 52 weeks, with the extension of multiple Masters 1000 events from 56-96 players also having ramifications on the schedule, with it rising from a week to almost two. Including the ATP Finals in this at the end of the year, and it is already a packed calendar without this new event being added to the equation.

It is yet to see the implications it will have on the tour, or how much it will stunt the growth in tennis in other countries. However, with players possibly prioritising this one due to financial gain, it is likely that other big events are likely to be skipped by the best players in the world. The Canadian Open was featured perilously close to the conclusion of Wimbledon, which led to the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper skip the event to prepare themselves for the US Open.

Whatever happens, once the Saudi Masters commences, it will make the ATP calendar look a lot different to what it currently is.