Saudi Arabia takes first steps into tennis investment with United Cup negotiations beginning

Saudi Arabia is in talks with Tennis Australia to acquire the rights to the United Cup.

The Asian country has recently entered the sports market and is determined to have an economic presence in tennis. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has already made strides in football and golf, with the high-profile merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

According to Daily Mail, representatives from the PIF were at Wimbledon to discuss an investment that would relocate the United Cup from Australia to Saudi Arabia.

The event, which features ATP and WTA players competing in mixed teams, took place for the first time in January of this year in Australia. It was designed to allow players to prepare for the Australian Open through team competition.

The tournament took place in Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney, attracting the world's top players, including Iga Swiatek, Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz, Petra Kvitova, and Jessica Pegula, among others.

United Cup was created to replace the controversial ATP Cup, which failed to resonate with fans and resulted in financial losses for Tennis Australia, piquing Saudi Arabia's interest in investing in and hosting the tournament in their country.

The PIF has already secured the hosting of the Next Gen ATP Finals, a tournament that brings together the top eight players under the age of 21 in the rankings.

Additionally, an exhibition event called the Diriyah Tennis Cup was held in December of last year, featuring top players such as Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, and Dominic Thiem. The tournament's champion was the American Taylor Fritz.

While there is no official announcement or finalized agreement yet, the talks between the PIF and the ATP and WTA are promising due to the substantial investment that Saudi Arabia is willing to make. The initiative has already received support from some tennis figures, including Nick Kyrgios and Billie Jean King.