$2billion take it or leave it: Saudi Arabia send merger offer to ATP and WTA...but it is time sensitive

The prospect of Saudi Arabia becoming more involved in tennis has gathered more steam, as the nation has reportedly made a $2 billion offer to merge both the ATP and WTA tours.

During the Premium Tour discussions in Indian Wells last Saturday, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi requested that the Masters tournaments stay behind once the four grand slams had left the room. Gaudenzi then briefed them on an offer from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is said to be time-sensitive, with a 90-day expiration period if it is not accepted. At the moment, the four grand slams would not be part of this PIF offer.

The PIF proposed the addition of a Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia in the first week of the season, an idea that Gaudenzi had been pushing all of last summer. However, this notion was strongly opposed by Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley, who oversees the United Cup team event in the same slot in the calendar. In the proposed new model, a Saudi Masters event would kickstart the year, and it is an open secret the WTA have already been planning to run their finals in Riyadh in early November. The new tennis calendar – rebranded as the PIF Tour – would now be topped and tailed by visits to the Kingdom.

The PIF involvement continues the trend of Saudi investment in sports, as the nation recently announced 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal as their official tennis ambassador. Furthermore, the Saudis are heavily invested in the world of golf and racing.