ATP and PIF announce multi-year deal as Saudi Arabia increases involvement in tennis

The ATP and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a new multi-year strategic partnership on Wednesday that includes the PIF becoming the official naming partner of the ATP Rankings, with the year-end ATP world No 1, presented by PIF, to be crowned at the ATP Finals in Turin in November.

A statement released by the ATP said the new deal marked “a significant shared commitment to enhancing global tennis for players, fans, tournament organisers and stakeholders at all levels of the sport”.

The PIF will also partner with ATP Tour events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing and the ATP Finals, as a sponsor with branding and activation opportunities, and will be the presenting partner of the Next Gen ATP Finals, hosted in Jeddah until 2027.

“Following the launch of the ATP’s Baseline programme earlier this year, PIF has further committed to develop and unlock new opportunities for young players and player pathway initiatives, providing a significant boost to the game’s next generation of stars,” read the ATP’s press release.

Former world No 1 Andy Murray was asked to share his thoughts on the announcement, which came just a few minutes after he lost 6-2, 6-4 to French fifth seed Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

Murray explained he wasn’t aware of the full details of the deal just yet, but told The National: “I don’t know exactly what it means by sponsoring the events. I don’t know what that will look like.

“One of my concerns is actually more about the investment in lower levels of the game and the grassroots of the sport. I think that’s extremely important.

“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of money coming in, I would imagine, but I hope that