Italian boss sends a zinger to ATP

Italy’s controversial tennis boss has taken a shot at reported ATP plans to bring the cash-rich Saudis into the tennis family.

Angelo Binaghi revealed details of ticket sales for his federation’s ATP Finals being staged this week in Turin.

And the administrator was quick to reveal that ticket sales for the year=end showpiece were… zero – in Saudi Arabia.

“Of the 166,470 tickets that can be sold at this time, 160,612 have been sold, with a stadium capacity of 176,985 seats in the fifteen sessions we are talking about,” he said at the event’s official preview.

“The total occupancy rate is 96.7 per cent, 40.2 per cent of tickets were sold abroad, the main markets being Switzerland, Germany, England and Brazil.

“And we have not sold a single one in Saudi Arabia.”

The ATP has already awarded the controversial kingdom this month’s NextGen Finals under-21 event and is expected to dish out a prestige Masters 1000 tournament sanction as well to the oil-rich entity.

Madrid and Miami tournament rights are said to be prime candidates for a license move to the Middle East, with ATP suits apparently fully on board with the lucrative move.